Manchester United legend Paul Scholes has revealed he paid £450 for a single ticket to watch Ronnie O'Sullivan at the World Snooker Championship in Sheffield. The former England midfielder bought the last available seat in the Crucible Theatre, which was just three seats away from the seven-time world champion.
Scholes, who described the experience as 'one of the best things I've ever done', attended O'Sullivan's first-round match against Chinese debutant He Guoqiang. The ticket gave him a prime view of O'Sullivan's routine victory, though the Rocket was later eliminated by John Higgins in the second round.
Speaking on The Good, The Bad and The Football podcast, Scholes recounted the spontaneity of his purchase. 'On my phone, had a look to see if you could buy a ticket. There was one ticket left in the whole theatre. It was three seats away from Ronnie. I've clicked on it and it was £450 and I just thought: "F*** it, I'm doing it".'
The 49-year-old was given a tour of the venue by an events manager, including a chance to sit in O'Sullivan's chair and have a photograph. 'I don't really get excited by much stuff, but this was f****** unbelievable,' Scholes added. 'I could have sat in that chair for two weeks.'
Scholes was unsure whether O'Sullivan recognised him, but the snooker star acknowledged him after the match. 'It was good to see him,' O'Sullivan said. 'He looks really well, fit, healthy, so good to see him come to the snooker.'
