Ronnie O'Sullivan Changes His Mind and Names New GOAT of Sport

Ronnie O'Sullivan has changed his stance on the 'greatest sportsperson of all time' debate, just a year after naming Michael Jordan and Novak Djokovic as his top two picks.

For many, O'Sullivan will go down as the greatest snooker player to have ever played the sport.

He has won seven World Championships, the joint-most in history alongside Stephen Hendry, and holds numerous long-standing records, including the fastest 147 break at a major tournament.

So, who does he regard as the sporting GOAT? Last year, O'Sullivan named NBA legend Michael Jordan as one of the greats alongside 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic.

Speaking to WST in July last year, he said of Djokovic: "He has to be up there with Michael Jordan as the greatest sportsperson that there's ever been in any sport, not just tennis.

"I think every sportsperson looks at people like Djokovic and Michael Jordan and goes, 'OK, what can I learn from them?'"

O’Sullivan was full of praise for Jordan and Djokovic. Image credit: Getty

O'Sullivan added: "Obviously, watching his [Djokovic's] career, and then meeting him and going to watch him, we've had a few WhatsApp messages and stuff like that. Yeah, it's great."

The meeting O'Sullivan referenced was at Wimbledon, with 'The Rocket' visiting SW19 to watch Djokovic win his first round match against Vit Kopriva.

But more than a year later and, in a recent interview with TNT Sports, the 49-year-old declared Phil Taylor as the greatest sportsperson of all time.

Taylor is widely regarded as the greatest darts player of all time. In total, he won 214 professional tournaments across a trophy-laden career that featured 16 World Darts Championship titles.

'The Power' also has a number of impressive records to his name, including the most televised nine-dart finishes (11).

Phil Taylor's legacy in the world of darts is unmatched. Image credit: Getty

He also became the first player to throw two nine-darters in the same match, accomplishing the feat in a memorable 2010 Premier League final against James Wade.

Phil Taylor explains why Luke Littler reminds him of Ronnie O'Sullivan

Littler has helped Taylor rediscover his love for darts.

“I went through a spell where I didn’t really watch the darts if it was on the box, but this kid is so special I always want to see him play," he said in December last year.

Taylor went on to compare Littler to snooker's most accomplished player. "He reminds me of Ronnie O’Sullivan because he can change the course of a game so quickly," he explained.

“When Ronnie is on it, he’s fantastic to watch. You might be level-pegging with him and five minutes later, he’s knocked it out of the park with a century break and he’s gone. Young Luke’s the same – he can blow you away in the blink of an eye and I just love watching him.”