Snooker salutes its new entertainer after Luca Brecel fulfils his destiny

A s the ticker tape began to stream down over Luca Brecel’s head on Monday evening in Sheffield, it was difficult not to see it as symbolising the changing of the guard for snooker. The new world champion certainly navigated his road to victory at the Crucible his own way, with a brand of attacking snooker usually only restricted to one man: Brecel’s hero, Ronnie O’Sullivan.

For years, snooker has relied on O’Sullivan to provide the entertainment. Even now as he approaches 50, O’Sullivan remains the undisputed face of the sport. Inside and outside of the Crucible this year, there were pictures of the seven-time champion of the world everywhere you looked. World Snooker Tour’s media team lined a corridor near the press centre with cuttings from the coverage throughout the tournament: most of them featured O’Sullivan in some format.

Snooker desperately needs a new entertainer and a new character, and everything about Brecel suggests he is the answer. For starters, the 28-year-old is the youngest world champion since Australia’s Neil Robertson, also 28, back in 2010.

Then there is the fact Brecel is covered in tattoos, including one of rapper The Game, the fact he speaks effusively about his desire to party rather than practise; after all, he claimed he spent 15 minutes practising in the three weeks prior to this tournament, opting to play darts instead. He looks, and feels, like something different. Something exciting for the game to embrace.

His attitude and style of play have drawn comparisons to the game’s great mavericks including Alex Higgins and, unsurprisingly, O’Sullivan – who showered praise upon Brecel on social media on Monday evening when he defeated Mark Selby.

“That’s amazing, it’s a huge compliment,”