Ronnie O'Sullivan names his player of the season and why he'd swap his UK and Masters wins

Despite his quarter-final exit at the 2024 World Snooker Championship, Ronnie O’Sullivan has had one of his most successful seasons ever with a five-title haul.

From the 12 events he completed during the 2023/24 campaign, ‘The Rocket’ won nearly half, lifting trophies at the ranked UK Championship and World Grand Prix, and the invitational Shanghai Masters, Masters and Riyadh Season World Masters of Snooker.

However, when asked by Eurosport to name his player of the season, O’Sullivan didn’t select himself, but instead Judd Trump, winner of five ranking titles this campaign.

With triumphs at the English Open, Wuhan Open and Northern Ireland Open in just a matter of weeks, Trump became only the fifth player in professional snooker history to claim three consecutive ranking titles. He went on to enjoy a 22-match winning streak on the tour, and later in the term he tasted more glory at the German Masters and World Open.

O’Sullivan said: “Probably have to say Judd. I think he’s played a lot of tournaments; it’s hard to do what he’s done going from back to back for tournament to tournament to tournament. He’s just on it all the time.”

23-time Triple Crown event winner O’Sullivan also stated that, given the choice, he would swap some prizes he won this season with Trump, having initially set his sights on success in China. He explained: “I wanted to do well in China, and he’s won two big events in China. So I’d say you can have my UK and Masters, because I’ve got loads of them.

“I’ve always set my stall out. I’m entering China events, I want to do well in them. Alright, I won one, but I would have swapped my Masters and UK for his two in China, to be fair; absolutely, yeah.”

Despite O’Sullivan and Trump notching up ten titles between them this season, neither will start the new 2024/25 campaign as the world number one as Mark Allen will earn that honour for the first time in his career following the conclusion of the world championship.