Ronnie O'Sullivan carried snooker for last 20 years, says Jack Lisowski as stars name childhood heroes
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Published 15/02/2025 at 21:32 GMT
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Ronnie O'Sullivan has been dubbed "a god" and "one of the most exciting British sportsmen ever" by Jack Lisowski. A select crop of current snooker professionals were asked to name their childhood idols in the sport, and Lisowski was the only one to reveal The Rocket was his hero growing up. John Higgins, Steve Davis, Jimmy White and Stephen Hendry were also mentioned by the group of stars.
O'Sullivan, Davis, Hendry, White? Snooker stars name their childhood heroes
Video credit: TNT Sports
Jack Lisowski named Ronnie O'Sullivan as his childhood snooker hero, claiming The Rocket is "one of the most exciting British sportsmen" of all time.
A clutch of current snooker stars were asked to reveal their boyhood idols in the sport, with John Higgins, Stephen Hendry, Jimmy White and Steve Davis all mentioned by the crop of players.
And Lisowski remembers the moment he first interacted with the seven-time world champion, over 20 years ago, when the now 33-year-old was not yet in his teens.
"He's just a god, isn't he?" said Lisowski. "He carried the game for the last 20 years. He's one of the most exciting British sportsmen ever.
"Here at the Welsh Open - I think I was like 12 - I cut my arm really bad on a glass door and I had it in a sling. He beat someone 5-0 and then he signed it after. I was buzzing.
"[O'Sullivan] is closely followed by John Higgins. He was my idol when I was growing up for several years."
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Watch O'Sullivan's best shots of 2024
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Lisowski was not the only one to select Higgins as their childhood snooker hero, with Matthew Selt calling the Scotsman "an amazing player with a great game".
"John Higgins, I've always loved the way he played the game. He's a lovely guy and he treats everyone with respect and he's an amazing player with a great game," said Selt.
"I went to the Benson & Hedges Masters at the Wembley Conference Centre and I was only a young boy. As he was walking down the stairs, I said to him, 'John!' He looked at me and I said, 'I'll give you [a] 14 [point] start for £500 if you want.' He remembers that to this day."
As for Higgins, the 49-year-old went against his family's choices and idolised the iconic Steve Davis as a boy.
"My snooker hero growing up was Steve Davis, because he was winning everything. I think the rest of my family were always rooting for the likes of Alex Higgins and Jimmy White. I just always loved the way Steve Davis played snooker," said Higgins.
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Welsh Open semi-finalist Stephen Maguire, meanwhile, admired Stephen Hendry growing up and was able to brush shoulders with his compatriot at the start of his career.
"It was probably Stephen Hendry," said Maguire. "I started playing at 10, so he was winning everything at the time, and obviously being from Scotland, so I would say him.
"I did manage to meet him. I think when I was 14, I got signed up with the same management company and I think Stephen got made to practice with me at the time. I was chuffed with that.
"So not only did I look up to him, but he did help me in my career."
Welsh Open finalist Mark Selby also selected Hendry, because "he was probably the one who I enjoyed watching and the one I was striving to".
Selby added: "His will to win, I mean he used to hate losing, hence why he obviously won so much, because he was just trying so hard. But what he achieved was absolutely incredible."
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And two current professionals plumped for Jimmy White, with Ali Carter grateful that he is able to call 'The Whirlwind' a friend today.
"My hero was probably Jimmy White," said Carter. "Because he was the one, the flamboyant player.
"I met Jimmy back in 1999 when I got to the semi-finals of the Grand Prix, and he came up to me and introduced himself.
"He just held his hand out and said, 'Jimmy White', and I'm privileged to say he's a friend of mine now."
Ryan Day still recalls watching White's stunning 147 against Tony Drago at the 1992 World Championship.
"It's quite simple: Jimmy White. Especially in the early 1990s when I was 10, 11, 12, I remember him making a 147 against Tony Drago," said Day.
"It was around the age when I was taking snooker a bit more seriously and he's still one of my heroes today."
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