Jack Lisowski and Luca Brecel Name Their Top Five Snooker Players Ever

Current World Snooker Tour stars Jack Lisowski and Luca Brecel have named their greatest snooker players of all time, with both agreeing that Ronnie O'Sullivan is the undisputed GOAT. However, their lists diverge significantly beyond that, sparking debate among fans.

Brecel's Top Five

2023 world champion Luca Brecel told Metro: 'I'll start with one. Obviously, Ronnie O'Sullivan. Easy. And then it's a tough one between Judd [Trump], [Mark] Selby and [John] Higgins, I think. I would actually say Judd, number two. People struggle to put guys like Judd number two because he's still very young, but it's obvious that he's much better than Steve Davis or Hendry or people like that, it's obvious. So Judd two, Higgins three, Selby four, and then… we'd have to say Hendry five.'

Brecel's ranking of Trump at number two is notable, as many fans place Stephen Hendry or Steve Davis higher. He argued that the standard of modern play is superior: 'It's hard to predict, but I think it's obvious. With Judd, he's so much better than those guys, I think. Obviously as a player, when you play Ronnie a lot, Judd a lot, you know which one is the most difficult and I think Judd is really up there.'

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Brecel lost to Trump 13-8 in the 2025 World Championship quarter-final and was impressed by his performance: 'I was playing so well in that World Championship and I felt like I could win it that year as well, but he was unstoppable against me.'

Lisowski's List

Jack Lisowski, a good friend of Trump, also placed him high on his list, which he struggled to keep to just five names. He gave a nod to recent world champions, including 22-year-old Wu Yize. 'Ronnie, Judd, Higgins, Wu Yize, [Mark] Williams, [Zhao] Xintong. That's what I reckon…yeah, that's what I reckon,' Lisowski said.

He later remembered Stephen Hendry: 'Hang on. Did I put Hendry in there? F***ing hell, stick Hendry at seven, or else I'll get a b******ing.' Lisowski acknowledged the difficulty of comparing eras: 'It's hard. I don't know, you look at their centuries as well, people have so many more centuries now, compared to the older guys. But it's hard to compare eras. You could put Steve Davis in there, I don't know, but that's all I see now, I'm only really going back the last 20 years.'

Contrasting Views from Other Players

1997 world champion Ken Doherty, asked the same question in May, chose: 'Ronnie, Stephen Hendry, Steve Davis, John Higgins, and Mark Selby.' He was baffled by suggestions that Hendry should not be right behind O'Sullivan. 'Stephen Hendry almost won six in a row here [the Crucible]! No one will ever, ever do that again. And as great as the other players are, even Ronnie, Ronnie won a seven in 30 years. Stephen won seven in 10. No one will dominate the game the way he played. And if he had been around with the era today, he would have actually got better,' Doherty said.