Former England and Manchester United captain Wayne Rooney has made a direct plea to King Charles, urging the monarch to award a knighthood to snooker icon Ronnie O'Sullivan. Rooney, who holds the record for most goals scored for both Manchester United and the England national team, expressed his admiration for O'Sullivan during an episode of his podcast, The Wayne Rooney Show.
Rooney's Knighthood Endorsement
When asked to name his top five sporting legends of all time, Rooney deliberately excluded footballers from his rankings and placed O'Sullivan in the number one position. He stated unequivocally that the snooker champion deserves to be knighted for his extraordinary contributions to the sport.
"In my opinion, he should be Sir Ronnie O'Sullivan," Rooney declared. "He should be knighted. We're seeing all these MBEs, OBEs, people getting knighted for different things. Some rightly, some wrongly, in my opinion. Ronnie O'Sullivan, for what he's done for snooker and the titles he's won, going over to different countries as well doing it, he should be knighted."
O'Sullivan's Unparalleled Career
Ronnie O'Sullivan, known as 'The Rocket,' has dominated professional snooker for decades. His achievements include:
- Seven World Championship titles (a joint-record)
- 23 Triple Crown victories (more than any other player)
- 41 ranking titles throughout his career
- A historic 153 break during the World Open last month, surpassing the traditional 147 maximum
The 50-year-old first won the world championship 25 years ago and continues to compete at the highest level. He is scheduled to participate in the 2026 World Snooker Championship later this month as the 12th seed, with his most recent world title coming in 2022 when he defeated Judd Trump 18-13 in the final.
Rooney's Sporting Legends List
In addition to O'Sullivan, Rooney named several other sporting icons in his top five, though he emphasized that O'Sullivan stands alone at the pinnacle. His rankings included:
- Ronnie O'Sullivan (snooker)
- Tiger Woods (golf)
- Mike Tyson (boxing)
- Serena Williams (tennis)
- Tom Brady and Michael Jordan (tied, American football and basketball)
Rooney explained his admiration for O'Sullivan's unique approach to the game: "I love snooker, I've always loved snooker. In snooker, you've had some absolute legends. Jimmy White, Stephen Hendry, absolute legends in snooker - but Ronnie O'Sullivan comes along and just how he plays the game, left-hand, right-hand, taking risks."
The Controversial Champion
Rooney acknowledged O'Sullivan's sometimes controversial nature, suggesting it might be a factor in why he hasn't been knighted yet. He referenced a famous incident where O'Sullivan deliberately missed the final black ball when on course for a 147 break to protest the prize money for maximum breaks.
"There was the one where he was on a 147 and he missed the black on purpose to make a point about the money the snooker players were getting paid," Rooney recalled. "His interviews are brilliant. He's got a charisma, an aura about him."
Rooney's public endorsement adds significant weight to calls for O'Sullivan's knighthood, coming from one of England's most celebrated footballers who himself has received numerous honors throughout his career.
