Ronnie O’Sullivan reveals he prioritises another sport over snooker as he names his four GOATs
RONNIE O’SULLIVAN has named his top four GOATS - but he insists that he actually prioritises another sport instead of snooker.
The 47-year-old is hoping to become the first player ever to win the World Snooker Championship at the Crucible for an eighth time this month.
The Rocket will begin the tournament with a first round clash with Pang Junxu.
Ahead of it, O’Sullivan appeared on Eurosport to answer questions from some legendary names from the sporting world.
Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand asked which sportspeople inspire him, to which he responded: “In individual sports, the big one for me was obviously [Roger] Federer.
“Now it’s [Novak] Djokovic because he is doing some fantastic things in his sport. In football, obviously I would have to say [Lionel] Messi - I think he’s just the governor.
“You just watch him play, it’s something else isn’t it? We all love Messi. Big Lionel fan, big Djokovic fan, Usain Bolt as well. He’s one of the kings for me.”
O’Sullivan then revealed his love for running, with the avid cross-country runner even admitting he likes it more than potting balls.
Having been asked by cyclist Chris Froome about the physical training of being a snooker player, the icon responded: “Really, you don’t need a lot of physical attributes to play snooker.
“But I think it would be advisable just to clear your head – and the equivalent of a 20-minute run every day would be ideal.
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“It’s long enough to get a bit of a sweat on, but short enough to not overdo it or leave yourself knackered for when you have to play snooker.
“I tend to run a lot further because I got hooked on running long-distance races, so I tend to do 35-40 miles a week. A lot of the time I’m too tired to even play snooker.
“So I’ve got it the wrong way round, but I’m more into running than I am into snooker. I have been for the last 15-20 years.
“But it helps me because it’s a bit of a distraction away from snooker and it helps me have a better perspective on things.
“It’s not really a physical game, but it helps to do something that clears the mind.
“Snooker is a bit of a mental sport so the more you can clear the mind, the better it is to go back to snooker to play again.”