Mark Williams has hailed Ronnie O’Sullivan as the greatest snooker player of all time, leaving himself out of his top five ranking list.
Despite his own impressive trio of World Championships and 26 ranking victories, Williams humbly excluded himself when asked for his opinion on GOAT rankings during the 2024 World Championships at Sheffield’s Crucible Theatre.
Chatting to Sporting Life’s YouTube channel, he didn’t hesitate to answer the tough question: “If every World Snooker Champion of all time were in their prime today, who would be in the world’s top five in the rankings?”
Williams quickly responded: “Ronnie [O’Sullivan], [John] Higgins, [Stephen] Hendry, and then I’d probably go [Steve] Davis, and then [Mark] Selby. Yeah, I mean, the people back in the eighties and all that – the seventies – brilliant players. But they wouldn’t compete with the standard that’s around now.”
It was back in 1992 when Williams joined the professional ranks, later becoming world number one on three occasions and achieving a remarkable Triple Crown feat during the 2002/03 season by dominating Ken Doherty in the UK Championship and the World Championship, as well as conquering Hendry for the Masters title.
In 2025, Williams is still a force to be reckoned with in the snooker world and currently rannked fifth behind Selby, O’Sullivan, Kyren Wilson and world no. 1 Judd Trump. His most recent tournament victory was at November’s Champion of Champions, where he triumphed over Guodong Xiao 10-6 in the final.
Meanwhile, O’Sullivan, often hailed as the greatest snooker player of all time, boasts seven World Championships and 41 ranking tournament wins, reports the Express. The now 49-year-old turned professional at just 16 in 1992, clinching his first ranking title at the UK Masters the following year.
Fast forward to 2025, ‘The Rocket’ has an impressive eight Masters and eight UK Championships under his belt, along with a record 23 triple crowns – the highest ever achieved by a single player. Williams isn’t alone in his high regard for O’Sullivan either.
When asked the same question by media, Shaun Murphy, Robert Milkins, Ali Carter and Wilson all named O’Sullivan as the top player on their individual lists. Meanwhile, Williams also popped up on everyone’s list barring his own and Murphy’s.
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