Matchroom Sports president Barry Hearn wants to see Ronnie O'Sullivan "embrace his role" as the face of snooker and continue playing for many more years to come despite the pair not seeing eye-to-eye.
At 48 years of age, O'Sullivan has toyed with retirement from professional snooker in the near future.
He's been at the forefront of snooker throughout his career and is looking to win an unprecedented 23rd Triple Crown title this week at the Masters.
How much longer O'Sullivan plays for remains to be seen with the Englishman admitting that he would like to win eight of each major.
Barry Hearn wants Ronnie O'Sullivan to keep playing for several years
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But former World Snooker Tour chairman Hearn feels O'Sullivan should still be able to play at the very top for years to come.
"Ronnie O’Sullivan is actually capable of playing for years yet, looking at him I don’t see any technical reason why he doesn’t and I hope he does," Hearn told Framed: The Snooker Podcast.
"I hope he embraces his role, when he looks back on his legacy he can say he was a great entertainer and changed the world of snooker.
"That would be the legacy I would be looking for from him."
Hearn and O'Sullivan have not seen eye-to-eye over the years and the former was angered in 2023 by comments from the face of snooker.
O'Sullivan took aim at snooker bosses, insisting the sport was in "the worst place it has ever been" and needed "at least another £50million a year just to make it a proper tour".
Hearn branded O'Sullivan "bang out of order" for his remarks at the time, calling them "ludicrous".
Despite their differing opinions, Hearn can't help but pay his respects to O'Sullivan's talents on the snooker table and what he's achieved in the sport.
Ronnie O'Sullivan has toyed with retirement in the past
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"We have to give him all the credit in the world, the Ronnie O’Sullivan story takes some believing," he added.
"If you wrote it down, a guy at 48 is still going to be this competitive.
"He has his moments, of course, but all geniuses have their moments, they’re not the same as you and I and Ronnie’s no exception.
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Barry Hearn hasn't always seen eye-to-eye with Ronnie O'Sullivan
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"It doesn’t mean to say you have to agree with him, but you have to take your hat off to someone who is such a sustainable image of the game, puts bums on seats and gets people all over the world saying, 'I want to watch this and I want to play this.
"So Ronnie O’Sullivan takes a big plus out of this year [2023] for his playing performances alone, quite unbelievable."
