Ronnie O'Sullivan
John Higgins
Stat by stat
Bars are scaled to the leader in this list.
The verdict
Ronnie O'Sullivan leads 4 of 4 categories. Our all-time ranking places Ronnie O'Sullivan at #1 and John Higgins at #5.
The case for Ronnie O'Sullivan
The most complete resume in the sport's history, assembled over four decades. O'Sullivan won the 1993 UK Championship at 17 years and 358 days, still the youngest winner of a ranking event, and was still winning majors in his late forties. He holds seven world titles (2001, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2013, 2020, 2022), eight UK Championships and eight Masters, giving him 23 Triple Crown titles, more than anyone. He has more ranking titles than any player, having passed 40, and more career centuries than anyone, having become the first to 1,000 in 2019 and pushed past 1,200 since. His 15 official maximum breaks are a record, including the 5 minute 8 second 147 against Mick Price at the Crucible in 1997. His 2022 world title, won at 46, made him the oldest Crucible champion. Naturally left-handed and able to play to a high standard right-handed, he combines the fastest execution in the game with the finest cue ball control of his era.
The case for John Higgins
The finest all-round technician of the modern era and the most durable competitor of a remarkable generation. Higgins won world titles in 1998, 2007, 2009 and 2011 and reached eight world finals in total, including three consecutive losing finals in 2017, 2018 and 2019, two of them decided in the final frame. He has more than 30 ranking titles, three UK Championships, two Masters and nine Triple Crown titles, and has compiled more than 900 career centuries. What sets him apart is completeness: he is regarded across the tour as the best safety player of his generation while also being capable of clearing from behind under maximum pressure, most famously in the deciding frames of his later Crucible finals. Turning professional in 1992 alongside Ronnie O'Sullivan and Mark Williams, he was still winning ranking events past 45 and still competing at the top of the tour in his fifties.