Wayne Rooney calls on King to bestow knighthood upon British sporting icon ahead of Birthday Honours List

Svar Nanan-Sen
Tue, 07 Apr 2026 11:32:53 +0000

Wayne Rooney has urged King Charles to bestow a knighthood upon snooker icon Ronnie O'Sullivan.

The former England football captain made the appeal while revealing his all-time greatest sports stars, placing 'The Rocket' at the very top of his list.

Speaking on The Wayne Rooney Show, the 40-year-old expressed his admiration for the seven-time world champion.

Rooney's comments arrive with the King's Birthday Honours approaching in June 2026.

"In my opinion, he should be Sir Ronnie O'Sullivan," Rooney declared. "He should be knighted."

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The Manchester United legend, who himself achieved record-breaking goalscoring feats for both club and country, acknowledged being captivated by O'Sullivan's extraordinary talent despite his own trophy-laden playing career.

Ronnie O'Sullivan's dominance has spanned more than two decades, with his first world title coming 25 years ago.

The 50-year-old has claimed a joint-record seven World Championship crowns and amassed 23 Triple Crown victories, more than any other player in the sport's history.

His collection of 41 ranking titles demonstrates sustained excellence at the highest level. The snooker star continues to rewrite the record books, having achieved the sport's highest-ever break just last month at the World Open.

Rooney suggested O'Sullivan's reputation for being outspoken may have prevented recognition thus far. "He should, maybe [it's] because he's controversial," the former striker observed.

The 40-year-old questioned the criteria applied to honours recipients while making his case for the snooker legend. "We're seeing all these MBEs, OBEs, people getting knighted for different things. Some rightly, some wrongly, in my opinion," he said.

Rooney emphasised O'Sullivan's global ambassadorship for the sport as further justification. "Ronnie O'Sullivan, for what he's done for snooker and the titles he's won, going over to different countries as well doing it, he should be knighted," he argued.

The former England skipper concluded with a telling observation: "Maybe he doesn't fit."

The honours system operates through recommendations from the prime minister or senior government ministers, with members of the public also able to nominate individuals, accounting for roughly a quarter of all submissions.

Awards are presented by the King, Prince of Wales or Princess Royal at venues including Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle and the Palace of Holyroodhouse.

Last year's King's Birthday Honours saw David Beckham, Rooney's former England teammate, receive a knighthood alongside actor Gary Oldman and musician Roger Daltrey.

Rooney deliberately excluded footballers from his personal rankings.

His top five featured Tiger Woods as runner-up, with Mike Tyson third and Serena Williams fourth. Tom Brady and Michael Jordan shared fifth position, but O'Sullivan claimed the summit alone.

"My number one is, it's controversial but, for me, I absolutely love him, it's Ronnie O'Sullivan," Rooney explained.