'I played against Ronnie O'Sullivan and Stephen Hendry – there's no debate who's best'
Ronnie O'Sullivan was labelled the greatest snooker player of all time over Stephen Hendry by their long-time rival John Higgins
Snooker legend John Higgins believes “there’s no debate” that Ronnie O’Sullivan is the best player of all time ahead of Stephen Hendry. Higgins, who has been a professional since 1992, came up against both icons in their respective primes but believes The Rocket is the “greatest”.
Higgins made his thoughts clear after he was defeated by O’Sullivan in the World Snooker Championship semi-final in 2022, stating that his rival's victory for the seventh time in the final would cement his place as the greatest. O’Sullivan did just that, beating Judd Trump at the Crucible to tie him with Hendry’s record of seven titles.
Higgins told Eurosport of the then-world No 1: "I think it would cement his [O’Sullivan] place as the best in everybody's eyes [if he beat Trump]. I think a lot of people would still hold on to Stephen having the seven World Championships and he is the greatest, but there is no debate in my eyes."
O’Sullivan aged 48 is still going strong and is ranked No. 4 in the world, while Hendry hung up his cue for a second time in June this year after struggling to make the same impact since his return to the main tour three years ago. And there are certainly stats that would back up Higgins’ claim about his two rivals.
The Rocket has already overtaken Hendry in holding many of the main records in the game. That includes eight Masters titles, 41 ranking event trophies and being the first player to reach over 1,000 centuries. Meanwhile, Hendry boasts 36 ranking titles and six Masters victories, including five on the bounce from 1989 to 1993.
The Scot cruised his way to seven world titles between 1990 and 1999. Nicknamed The Golden Boy, Hendry took snooker by storm from a young age and by 21 he was the youngest ever World Champion - O’Sullivan was 25 when he was victorious in Sheffield for the first time.
They certainly had ample time to show who was the better player, having come up against each other 56 times in their careers. O’Sullivan claimed 30 victories, while Hendry won 21 and the pair drew on five occasions.
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O’Sullivan, who has a good relationship with Hendry now despite their once-ferocious rivalry, has modestly proclaimed Hendry the greatest in the past. The Essex potter said in 2022: "Stephen is an all-time legend for me, the greatest player. He was the Tiger Woods of snooker.
“Me, John (Higgins) and Mark (Williams) have all done well, but when he was flying he was a superstar. When there's three of us, we're not superstars. But when there's one man dominating the sport like he did, like Tiger Woods, it's a different level."
However, both 2005 world champion Shaun Murphy and Hendry have labelled O’Sullivan the ‘GOAT’. Discussing O'Sullivan's attributes as they scribbled down words on a chalkboard, Murphy said on the BBC: "Stephen, I feel safe these days with the word I'm about to write: GOAT.”
Hendry agreed, saying: "He is the GOAT because he's taken the game onto a new level. One of the reasons he's taken the game onto a new level is because he is an artist."
