Ronald Antonio O'Sullivan, OBE (born 5 December 1975) is an English professional snooker and pool player.
He is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the sport's
history. He is noted for his rapid playing style, mercurial temperament
and his ambivalent relationship with the sport, from which he has taken
prolonged sabbaticals and repeatedly threatened to retire.
A childhood snooker prodigy, O'Sullivan macentury break at age 10, and his first maximum break at age 15. He turned professional in 1992, at the age of 16, and soon earned the nickname "The Rocket", because of his rapid playing style. He achieved his first major professional success when he won the 1993 UK Championship
at the age of 17 years and 358 days, making him the youngest player
ever to win a ranking title – a record he still holds. He is also the
youngest player to have won the Masters, having captured his first title in 1995 at the age of 19 years and 69 days.
His record in Triple Crown events now stands at five World Championship, a record seven Masters, and five UK Championship titles. His career total of 28 ranking titles puts him in joint second place (with Steve Davis and John Higgins) behind Stephen Hendry, who has 36, and his career earnings of over £8 million put him in second place after Hendry on snooker's all-time prize-money list. O'Sullivan has held the world number one ranking on multiple occasions, most recently during the 2009/2010 season. His other achievements include ten Premier League titles and winning the Nations Cup with England in 2000.
Known as a prolific break-builder, O'Sullivan holds the record for the most competitive century breaks
with 860. He also holds the record for the most ratified maximum breaks
in professional competition (13), and for the three fastest competitive
maximum breaks the quickest of which was compiled in 5 minutes and 20
seconds.