Jude Bellingham accepts challenge from snooker GOAT Ronnie O'Sullivan

Jude Bellingham and Ronnie O'Sullivan are both at the top of their respective sports, and the pair could be set to meet in an unlikely challenge.

Stourbridge is probably not the first place people think of when it comes to sporting excellence, but the West Midlands town has produced two of the finest sportsmen on the planet.

Jude Bellingham may only be 20 years old, but he is arguably the best midfielder in the world right now. The England international has taken his game to new heights since joining Real Madrid in the summer, so much so that it feels like he's been playing at the Bernabeu for years.

O'Sullivan is 28 years older than the footballer, yet he remains at the top of his sport. The snooker star is one of the most successful players of all time, and on Sunday he became the oldest ever UK Championship snooker champion.

Both have overcome serious challenges to get where they are today, but how would they fare if they took each other on?

We might be about to find out. This week Bellingham posted a photo of himself holding a snooker cue on his Instagram story with the caption: "Watches half an hour of the @ronnie doc."

O'Sullivan then reposted the image on his own story with the caption: "Let me know if you fancy a game."

Bellingham replied with smiling and handshake emojis, leaving open the possibility that the two Midlands heroes could meet up for the duel.

Jude Bellingham reached out to Ronnie O'Sullivan on Instagram.

Given their Stourbridge roots, one X (formerly Twitter) user said: "Both born in Stourbridge. Bring on the #StourbridgeSkirmish."

It would be fascinating to see what a meeting between Bellingham and O'Sullivan would look like.

Would it take place in London, Madrid or Stourbridge? Would the venue be an exclusive snooker club, or would the stained table down at the local pub suffice? Would Ronnie bring his own cues, and would Jude provide the quid for the table? So many questions.

One thing is for certain though - this meeting absolutely needs to happen.

Topics: Jude Bellingham, Ronnie O’Sullivan, La Liga, Snooker

Alex Brotherton

Alex Brotherton is a Sports Trends Writer at SPORTbible. He has previously worked with publications including the Manchester Evening News, GOAL and BBC Sport. He is a football fanatic, but also dabbles in tennis and American football. He enjoys running, cooking and watching non-league football.

@alex_brotherton