Jude Bellingham set for unexpected Ronnie O'Sullivan link-up as stars exchange messages


We’ve seen plenty of crossover clashes in boxing over the years but now Ronnie O’Sullivan is proposing to do the same in snooker. The 48-year-old has offered to take on Real Madrid and England star Jude Bellingham shortly after winning his record-extending eighth UK Championship title on Sunday.

O’Sullivan was in excellent form as he overcame Ding Junhui with a 10-7 victory in the final. In doing so, O’Sullivan became the oldest player to win a UK Championship, clinching the crown two days shy of his 48th birthday.

The Rocket also holds the record for being the youngest winner of the tournament having won his first UK Championship title at just 17 years old back in 1993. O’Sullivan may have only just wrapped up the UK title but he is already on the lookout for his next opponent and has chosen to go with a very unorthodox pick.

It appears O’Sullivan has agreed to take on Bellingham after realising that the youngster is an avid pool player. The 20-year-old recently posted a photo of him playing eight-ball on Instagram which caught O’Sullivan’s attention.

“*Watches half an hour of the Ronnie doc*. Let me know if you fancy a game,” he wrote on his Instagram story accompanied by  a winking emoji. Bellingham then seemed to accept his offer by replying with a handshake emoji in his own story.

O’Sullivan has taken part in plenty of exhibition matches over in Asia against some of snooker’s greatest-ever players but a game against Bellingham would be an entirely different spectacle.

It wouldn’t be the first time he has played a few frames with a footballer though. The snooker great went head-to-head with David Beckham at his house in London during the set piece specialists’ time at Manchester United. 

Beckham is a keen follower of the sport and revealed that it was one of the best night-outs he ever had. Speaking at the premiere of O’Sullivan’s new film ‘The Edge of Everything’, he said: “I was able to spend a little time with Ronnie over the years. One of my favourite nights as a Manchester United player, we’d played in London and I think we went out for a couple of beers and I ended up back at Ronnie’s house.

“His mum was making a cup of tea for us and we had a few frames. That was one of my favourite nights as a Manchester United player because I got to spend a few hours with Ronnie and get to know him.”

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