The Debate: Who is the greatest snooker player of all-time, Ronnie O'Sullivan or Stephen Hendry?

Two members of the bet365 News team debate who the greatest player in snooker history is, Ronnie O'Sullivan or Stephen Hendry.

There's a case for both to be made, one established himself as the dominant force in the 1990s, winning a remarkable seven world titles across the decade, whilst the other has proven to possess a truly unparalleled longevity at the summit of the sport, remaining at the summit a staggering three decades on from capturing his first ranking crown.

It's a topic that draws so much intrigue and interest each and every year, and a debate that could very well rage on for ever more.

Sport isn’t about talent, it’s about winning, and nobody knew how to win quite like Stephen Hendry, writes Liam Williams...

Liam Williams

While there’s very little to separate Ronnie O’Sullivan and Stephen Hendry, O’Sullivan himself - a man it’s not easy to extract praise from - declared Hendry to be the better of the two, while Hendry concurred, saying that he’d fancy himself over a four-session match to triumph every time.

O’Sullivan’s mental battles off the baize have no doubt impacted his career, and it’s a testament to his fortitude that he’s maintained a 30-year career at the top of the game. But so much of snooker - certainly at the elite level-– is just as much about what goes on between your ears as on the table itself, and throughout his career, O’Sullivan’s temperament has been found wanting in a way Hendry’s was not.

Memorably at the 2005 World Snooker Championship, Ebdon’s slow play left Ronnie exasperated - Ebdon of course wasn’t an easy opponent, and actually beat Hendry in a world final - with the Rocket losing all focus and blowing a lead to exit a tournament he probably should have won. It was a mental blip that Hendry simply didn’t have in his locker.

While there was a way to beat O’Sullivan - however unseemly - throughout the 1990s, Hendry was almost robotic. He admitted he didn’t spend time with any other players socially lest it shatter his invincible, ice-man aura, and while some players struggle with having the target of being the world’s best player on their back, Hendry loved it, believing there were plenty of players who were beaten before playing a shot.

Hendry didn’t just have the ability to become the best player in the world, but the resilience to ensure he stayed there.

From the 1989 UK Championship until the 1996 UK Championship there were 22 Triple Crown events; Hendry won 13 of them. Playing the best players in the world in a seven-year spell, Hendry would win more than half of snooker’s biggest tournaments, including winning all three in two different seasons; in 11 years, Hendry won his record-setting 18 Triple Crown events, and while O’Sullivan would later eclipse him with 23, they were amassed over 32 years.

Between 1989 and 1993, Hendry won five consecutive Masters titles. Between 1992 and 1996, Hendry won five consecutive world titles. Steve Davis never managed more than three world crowns on the bounce and O’Sullivan never managed more than two. It’s a level of dominance we’re unlikely to see in the game again.

Hendry admitted that once he’d finally eclipsed Steve Davis’s six World Championship wins, his hunger waned, though there were other issues, such as his cue being broken in transit and a suffering with the yips, but nobody has ever dominated the game quite like Hendry.

When O’Sullivan has been at his very best, he’s been untouchable, playing the game in a manner mere mortals could only dream of. Unfortunately for O’Sullivan, that level hasn’t been as often as it might have.

In terms of raw talent and natural ability, we’re unlikely to see anyone better than O’Sullivan pick up a cue.

But sport isn’t about talent, it’s about winning, and nobody knew how to win quite like Hendry.

There's no debate to be had, Ronnie O'Sullivan's longevity sets him apart by some distance, writes Mark Mothershaw...

Mark Mothershaw

The Rocket’s claim that Stephen Hendry stands above him in snooker’s all-time greatest list is nothing other than sheer modesty on his part.

After all, for all of his greatness with a cue in his hand, we’ve all come to learn not to believe too much that comes out of his mouth when he has a microphone in his hand.

There’s no doubt in my mind that deep down Ronnie O’Sullivan knows that he is the finest player to have ever graced the baize - every statistic, number and record (except perhaps one) backs this up!

Yes, for as long as the two greats remain locked on seven World Snooker Championship titles apiece, this debate will always split opinion, and I get that - Hendry was a colossus, a true winning machine.

But whilst there will always be one person to back the Scotsman as being the greatest of all-time, there would be at least double the amount championing O’Sullivan as the better of the two.

Look, in terms of numbers and statistics, it’s close, but still Ronnie has the edge.

He’s won more ranking titles than Hendry, reigned supreme in more Triple Crown events too, and, let’s not forget, also possesses a comfortable winning record in meetings against him, winning 30 and losing 21 of their 56 titanic tussles.

Both men are winning machines, the only difference being, one ran out of steam quite some time ago and the other remains firmly fired up.

Another key factor that sets ‘The Rocket’ apart is his unparalleled longevity; this despite some incredibly arduous times both on and off the table in the near four decades he has remarkably been at the summit of the sport.

Hendry in the 90s was a beast, I can’t deny that, but it’s worth noting that he won each of his seven world titles across that decade, which in itself is a sensational achievement, and something we’ll likely never see again.

But when comparing that to somebody who boasts the unparalleled staying power of O’Sullivan, somebody who is still firmly in the hunt to land an eighth Crucible crown a quarter-of-a-century after his first, I just genuinely don’t believe there is a debate to be had.

The very fact that he remains on the tour, despite his ongoing struggles is a true testament to the man, but what is even more remarkable is the face that he remains one of, if not the greatest player, still gracing the green baize.

Only O’Sullivan could be installed as one of the two favourites for an event that he didn’t even know he would be participating in until the eve of the campaign.

Remember, ahead of this year’s Sheffield showpiece, he had withdrawn from five successive competitions after angrily snapping his cue as a consequence of ‘falling out of love with the game’, and finding himself in ‘another dark place’.

The man is almost 50, and, as is continuing to prove in Sheffield right now, clearly still possesses the mindset, stamina and quality to land yet another Crucible crown.

Truth be told, this argument will likely rage on until O’Sullivan lands his eight title, but believe me, it’s a matter of when, and not if, he manages to do that, and once he does, I think it’s safe to say the book can finally be closed on this long-standing debate.