Ronald Antonio “Ronnie” O’Sullivan (born 5 December 1975) is an English professional snooker player from Chigwell, Essex, known for his rapid playing style.
He is seen by many observers of the game as the greatest natural talent in snooker history.
He made his first century break at age 10 and his first maximum break at age 15. He turned professional in 1992, at the age of 16, and soon earned the nickname “The Rocket”.
He won the 1993 UK Championship at the age of 17 years and 358 days, becoming the youngest player ever to win a professional ranking tournament, a record he still holds. He is also the youngest player ever to have won the Masters, having captured his first title in 1995 at the age of 19 years and 69 days.
O’Sullivan’s record in Triple Crown events stands at five World Championship, five Masters, and five UK Championship titles. He is fourth behind Stephen Hendry, Ray Reardon, and Steve Davis on the list of players who have won the most World Championships in the modern era. He is third on the list of players who have won the most ranking titles, with 27.
With career earnings of over £8 million, he is second after Hendry on snooker’s all-time prize-money list. He was ranked world number one for five seasons between 2002/2003 and 2009/2010. His other achievements include ten Premier League titles and winning theNations Cup with England in 2000.
Known as a prolific break-builder, O’Sullivan is second behind Hendry on the list of players making the most competitive century breaks, with a total of 770.
He holds the record for the most ratified maximum breaks in professional competition, with 13. At the 1997 World Championship, he set the record for the fastest competitive maximum break at 5 minutes 20 seconds.
