FORMER world champion Luca Brecel has branded himself ‘the Ronaldinho of snooker’ ahead of his Crucible return.
The 30-year-old took home £500,000 after winning the World Snooker Championship in 2023 but subsequently experienced a huge dip in form.
GettyLuca Brecel has branded himself the Ronaldinho of snooker[/caption]
AFPBrecel has likened himself to Brazil legend Ronaldinho because he is ‘entertaining and fun to watch’[/caption]
He slipped to No58 in the provisional world rankings last summer and even risked losing his place on the world tour.
But the Belgian Bullet has now admitted that he does not care about winning.
Instead, he wants to enjoy his game and impress with his skill on the table – much like football icon Ronaldinho did on the pitch.
Brecel told Midnite: “I just don’t really think a lot about winning tournaments and stuff like that. I just like playing the game.
“I’m more of a Ronaldinho type of player in snooker, so it’s all about just entertaining and fun!
“And also having a nice life around it, that’s more important to me! So yeah, no pressure.”
Brecel is set to face Ryan Day in his first match of the 2025 World Snooker Championship on Wednesday.
But the Belgian admitted he could “lose easily” in the first round.
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World Snooker Championship 2025
WE are BACK at the Crucible for another thrilling fortnight of snooker action!
There will be a new champion this year after reigning champ Kyren Wilson crashed out in the first round after a stunning performance from Lei Peifan.
Ronnie O’Sullivan will take to the snooker table after missing recent tournaments, while world no 1 Judd Trump heads into the tournament as the favourite.
The likes of Shaun Murphy, Mark Selby and John Higgins are also expected to be contenders.
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He continued: “I’m always going to be an outsider.
“If I play well, then anything can happen, you know, but I can also lose easily in the first round.
“That’s just my game because I play really attacking, but if it works then I can win it.”
Following his 2023 World Championship triumph, Brecel was knocked out of the tournament in the first round last year after suffering a 10-9 defeat to qualifier David Gilbert.
The Bullet has now admitted that he is “not interested” in winning another world title.
He said: “I’ve not really thought about the possibility of winning a second world title.
“I’m not that interested in it. If it happens it happens, but if it doesn’t, then it’s all good.”
After winning his World Championship, Brecel spent a large chunk of his winnings on supercars and now regularly jets off on luxury holidays.
Brecel has splashed out hundreds of thousands of pounds on supercars in recent years Creator – [#item_custom_dc:creator]
