Snooker legend Ronnie O’Sullivan left himself out of his seven-man list for sporting GOATs and snubbed Formula One superstar Lewis Hamilton from his picks.
Hamilton shares the record for most world titles alongside F1 legend Michael Schumacher, with the Mercedes driver picking up his record-tying honour in 2020.
The 37-year-old missed out on scooping a record-breaking eighth world title after Red Bull’s Max Verstappen beat him in a controversial ending to the 2021 season.
Hamilton’s incredible success in the sport saw him earn a knighthood in the 2021 New Year Honours list.
However, O’Sullivan believes that the seven-time F1 world champion wouldn’t be considered a GOAT of sports as racing cars do not create a “level playing field.”
Speaking to The Daily Star, snooker’s world No 3 said: “It is fantastic for Lewis to win seven world titles, but if your car is going around quicker, you can afford to make a few mistakes and still get away with it.
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“It’s a bit like driving around smoking a cigar with one finger on the wheel! I think it’s difficult to say where he is [among the greats].
“A lot of the sports I watch -- the people that have done it, you have to look whether it’s a level playing field.
“If you have a car that is going a second a lap quicker than the other cars, in theory all he has to beat is his teammate [Valtteri] Bottas -- who seems to be comfortable and happy playing second fiddle.
“I wouldn’t have felt as good about my career in snooker if I had been playing on a table where the pockets I was using were bigger than my opponents.”
O'Sullivan has won six World Snooker Championship titles in his remarkable career and is widely regarded as one of the best snooker players of all time.
However, the 46-year-old Brit revealed that his seven sporting GOATs included three tennis superstars, specifically Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal.
Golf icon Tiger Woods and darts legend Phil Taylor both make O'Sullivan’s rankings alongside the aforementioned trio.
Finally, O'Sullivan completed his seven-man GOAT list with none other than Barcelona legend Lionel Messi and Manchester United superstar Cristiano Ronaldo.
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“It doesn’t mean as much as say a sport like tennis with Federer playing everyone on a level playing field, or [Eliud] Kipchoge running against everyone on a level playing field,” he explained.
“Snooker is like that, too, with a level playing field.
“In boxing, certain boxers avoid certain fighters so that makes it hard for them to have credibility unless they fought the best.
“That’s why you have to give credit to people like Tyson Fury because you know they won’t duck anyone and will fight anyone anywhere at any time.
“I just think sport is where there is no advantage. You don’t get to choose your opponent or have better equipment.
“So for me, Federer, Nadal, Djokovic, Phil Taylor in darts, Tiger Woods, Messi, Ronaldo… it’s there to see.”
Featured Image Credit: PATopics: Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Tiger Woods, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Snooker
Adnan Riaz