Stephen Hendry forced into U-turn over the ‘Ronaldinho of snooker’ as Judd Trump leaps to his defence

JUDD TRUMP has defended Luca Brecel – after the Belgian Bullet was accused of lacking dedication by Stephen Hendry.

Brecel, 30, became world champion in 2023 but has frustrated Hendry with his jet-setting lifestyle.

GettyJudd Trump has defended Luca Brecel’s approach to snooker[/caption]

PAStephen Hendry had previously questioned the Belgian Bullet’s commitment to the game[/caption]

PABrecel has previously dubbed himself the ‘Ronaldinho of snooker’[/caption]

Brecel took a private jet home immediately after his first-round match with Ryan Day at the Crucible.

And he was almost late returning to Sheffield, only making it on time thanks to a late intervention from Arsenal superstar Leandro Trossard.

Brecel has previously dubbed himself the “Ronaldinho of snooker”.

Explaining his approach, he said: “It’s all about just entertaining and fun and also having a nice life around it.”

But six-time Crucible champion Henry slammed the “frustrating” star in a rant prior to the World Championships.

Hendry called out Brecel for lacking motivation and wasting his talent on the baize.

The Scot said: “I honestly don’t know what he’s doing with his career.

“I haven’t got a clue. I see him a lot on Instagram, he’s riding his bike all over the place.

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“He’s going out to dinners with his girlfriend, he seems to be having a lovely time.“

Hendry went on to say he “cannot buy into what [Brecel is] doing” and called him out over “constant flights to Mallorca”.

Brecel is currently facing off with World No1 Trump for a place in the World Championship semi-finals.

The Ace in the Pack leapt to the Belgian’s defence after Hendry’s comments.

Trump, the 2019 champion, said: “When I was 21 and came here, I thought the same as [Brecel].

“I didn’t care, just go out and play snooker.

“I’ve seen a lot of comments saying that if he dedicated himself more, he’d be unbelievable, but he wouldn’t because of how carefree he is.

“He’s very happy with his life, I don’t think anyone can judge someone that’s happy off the table, I think that’s the most important thing.

“I’d like to see Luca keep that style of play up because even in the worst case, I was to lose, it’s nice to watch in the final.

“It’s good for snooker to have these different personalities.”

Hendry was full of praise for Brecel’s exploits on the table after two rounds in Sheffield.

And he appeared to perform a U-turn as he praised the former champ for being an “absolute genius”.

Hendry told the BBC: “He’s just an inspirational player.

“When he gets that inspiration, when he gets that buzz from snooker, you can’t stop watching him. He’s just brilliant.

“He’s approaching the game in a way that no other player has, and still winning.

“I mean, if someone had told you back in the day that there’s going to be a player that comes on the scene later on and is going to approach it the way he does – and he’s still going to win the Worlds by the way – you’d have said no chance.”

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