Ronnie O'Sullivan Calls John Higgins Snooker's Best All-Rounder Before 2025 World Championship Showdown
O'Sullivan Puts Higgins At the Top of Snooker's Pyramid
If you ask Ronnie O’Sullivan who tops the snooker world—not in titles, but as the most complete player—he’ll name John Higgins every time. That’s not small talk either. O’Sullivan, himself chasing a record eighth World Snooker Championship at the Crucible, didn’t mince words this week. He credited Higgins with a jaw-dropping technique, world-class break-building, ice-cold safety play, and nerves of steel—calling him simply snooker’s greatest all-rounder. That’s high praise coming from the game’s greatest headline act.
This isn’t just about stats, although the numbers are impressive. John Higgins has four world titles—fewer than O’Sullivan's seven, but still puts him among the elite. It’s how he plays the game, O’Sullivan insists, that truly separates Higgins from the pack. “Unbelievable technique, fantastic break-building, top-class safety play, and tonnes of bottle—that’s why he’s the best all-rounder,” O’Sullivan explained. The two shared one of the sport's classic finals back in 2001, when O’Sullivan won in dominating fashion, 18-4. But that result hardly defines their rivalry or the respect between them.
Tactical Advice, Old Rivalries, and a New Chapter at the Crucible
Looking back, O’Sullivan reckons Higgins might have won even more if he’d unleashed his attacking side sooner. “If I was in John's corner, I'd say, ‘Push the boat out, go for a few more,’” he mused, suggesting that more aggressive advice early in Higgins' career could’ve added extra world titles to his tally. He’s drawing on his own experience too—remember, it was Ray Reardon who unlocked Ronnie’s lethal blend of flair and ruthlessness.
With the 2025 World Snooker Championship on the horizon, the stakes are sky-high. O’Sullivan, who’s reunited with psychologist Steve Peters in search of that eighth crown, faces Ali Carter in a tricky opener. Meanwhile, Higgins squares off against Joe O’Connor, aiming to add more silverware to his legendary haul. The Crucible always brings drama, but this year feels especially loaded with history and anticipation.
Even snooker’s other legend, Stephen Hendry, weighed in. He’s tipping O’Sullivan to eclipse them all, calling a possible eighth title “the greatest achievement the game has ever seen.” With legends reuniting and rivalries reigniting, the 2025 championship isn’t just about silverware—it’s another chapter in the battle to define snooker’s true greatest.