Fergal O’Brien has played all the names bandied about in snooker’s Greatest Of All Time debate and in the Irishman’s mind, Ronnie O’Sullivan is the only man who can claim that title.
O’Brien is celebrating 30 years as a professional this year, so has taken on every big name the sport has had to offer from 1991 until the present day.
The 49-year-old believes there is a clear top two greatest players to ever grace the table and it is O’Sullivan’s superior safety skill and tactical nous that puts him ahead of seven-time world champion Stephen Hendry.
‘Ronnie O’Sullivan all day long,’ O’Brien told the Snooker Scene podcast when asked to choose his GOAT.
‘Apart from the records, and all bar the World Championships he has the lot, but the way I would describe it, they’re similar as both great break-builders, Ronnie particularly in his pomp, great long potter, scored so heavy.
‘But Stephen Hendry even in his pomp, mid-90s, absolute God, if I was playing him and it was level on the colours or even he had a slight lead, I’d make myself favourite because I could out-play him because that was my strength.
‘Whereas if you’re level on the colours with Ronnie O’Sullivan and one or two of the colours are safe it’s probably the other way. At best we’re level or he’s slight favourite.
‘If you were doing Top Trumps, categories they both score 10 or 9 in but if you get to tactical play, Stephen’s a 7, Ronnie is a 9-plus. Get to safety and Hendry’s at 7, Ronnie’s at 9-plus.’
O’Brien in fact sees a clear top three in this long-standing discussion, placing John Higgins behind Stephen Hendry, while acknowledging that some place the Wizard of Wishaw higher on this particular list.
Graeme Dott and Tony Knowles have both recently claimed Higgins as the best to ever play the game, but O’Brien is not of that mind.
‘Hendry is definitely number two, in my eyes,’ said the former British Open champion. ‘A lot of the players also think Higgins is better than Hendry but I don’t agree with that, I think Hendry was better than Higgins. But that’s not diminishing Higgins because Higgins is definitely three.
‘John, as great as he was, it felt a bigger deal playing Hendry or O’Sullivan, I was always more comfortable playing John, as great as a player he was.
‘Playing Hendry and O’Sullivan you were more conscious of who you were playing. Maybe John being a nice guy and socialising more, he just didn’t quite have that aura that they did.’
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