World ranking: 2
Last five seasons: 4-4-3-7-8
Date of birth: 05-12-75
Lives: Chigwell, Essex
Turned professional: 1992
Ranking tournament victories: 10 - UK Championship 1993, 1997; British Open 1994; Asian Classic 1996; German Open 1996; Regal Scottish 1998, 2000; China Open 1999, 2000; Embassy World Championship 2001
Last season's prize money: £689.130
Career prize money (up to start of 2001-2002 season): £2,105,330
Highest tournament break: 147 - four times

Any fears Ronnie O'Sullivan had of succeeding Jimmy White as 'the greatest player never to win the world title' were dispelled during the 2001 Embassy World Championship.

The 'Rocket' was on cruise control for much of the tournament, dispatching Andy Hicks (10-2), Dave Harold (13-6), Peter Ebdon (13-6) and Joe Swail (17-11) to reach his first world final.

And he never looked back after building a 6-2 first-session lead over Scotland's John Higgins, eventually winning 18-14 to become the first Englishman to lift the trophy since John Parrott back in 1991.

The man from Essex - dubbed the Mozart of snooker by Ebdon - boosted his bank balance to the tune of £250,000 and secured second place in the World Rankings ahead of Higgins.

But, more importantly, he finally fulfilled the precocious talent he showed as a teenager - the talent that has established him as the natural successor to Alex Higgins and White as snooker's 'People's Champion'.

"It has taken me a little bit longer than everyone was expecting," he admitted afterwards. "If I hadn't won it in the next two or three years I would have been 28 and people would have said 'he's getting on, it's a young man's game, will he ever win it?

"I'm only in my mid-20s - I don't even feel that I'm at my peak yet - but I didn't want that tag of being the best player never to win the World Championship.

"It's a massive burden. Golf has four majors but in snooker there's only one World Championship each year. You might only get ten genuine attempts at it."

A beaten semi-finalist in 1998 (by Higgins) and 1999 (by Stephen Hendry), some had questioned O'Sullivan's commitment and desire following his shock 10-9 first round defeat against David Gray in 2000.

During his lowest moments, there has even been talk of retirement but - on the table at least - it all came right for him during the 2000-2001 season.

It was by far the most successful of his nine-year professional career, yielding six titles. On top of the world, he also won the Champions Cup, Regal Masters, China Open, Citywest Irish Masters and sportingbet.co.uk Premier League.

He has now won ten world ranking tournaments - the first coming at the age of 17 when he captured the 1993 UK Championship, defeating Stephen Hendry 10-6 in the final.

O'Sullivan is a regular maximum man. He made his first in competition at the age of 15 in the English Amateur Championship and has compiled four as a pro, including the three fastest on record.

The fastest 147 break - in just five minutes and 20 seconds - came during his first round match against Mick Price in the 1997 World Championship. It was worth a massive £165,000 but the money means nothing in comparison to lifting the coveted silver trophy.