Ronnie O’Sullivan has dropped down the list of the highest-earning snooker stars after significantly scaling back his tournament appearances in recent months. Judd Trump has overtaken the Englishman after earning £1.4million more than him in the last two years. According to CueTracker, Trump has pocketed a whopping £4.3m in prize money from 2021 to now.
This has made the 36-year-old the highest earner in the last five years, recently bolstered by his German Masters win against Shaun Murphy earlier this month. In comparison, O’Sullivan has made £3.2m in the last five years, with his highest earnings coming in the 2023/24 season with £1.2m. However, the seven-time world champion has cited mental and physical health reasons as to why he has taken a step back from snooker since early 2025. O’Sullivan has participated in major tournaments such as the World and UK Championships but has skipped others, including the Masters earlier this year.
The Englishman did make half a million from his 2022 World Championship win and £500,000 combined from his 2023 UK Championship and 2024 Masters victories. However, the 50-year-old is now closer to Kyren Wilson in earnings than to Trump, with the Masters winner claiming £2.9m in prize money over the last five years. Mark Allen and Mark Selby round off the top-five earners in snooker, with £2.5m and £2.4m respectively.
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It is clear that O’Sullivan’s absence from recent tournaments has directly affected his prize money pot. However, speculation on his retirement was squashed by the man himself in 2025.
O’Sullivan told the Daily Mail in April 2025 that he’ll give himself 24 months to return to glory. The 50-year-old said: « I’m not quitting just yet, but I will give myself two years to try and figure it out.
« I don’t want to finish my career feeling like I wasn’t really performing to the level that I know I can. I don’t have to win tournaments, but I just want to feel like I’m enjoying the game. I’d like to go out with a smile on my face.
« I have to try and repair myself and just try and find how I used to play snooker. It’s a massive rebuilding process and probably the last one I’ll ever have to do as a snooker player. Do I think I can do it? Probably not if I’m being honest.
« I think it’s probably a bit too late in my career and I’m probably damaged goods in the form of a snooker player. You take a lot of battle scars over the years. But I’m not prepared to quit at this point because I feel like I would be quitting on a bit of a low. »
The top snooker earners of the last five years
1. Judd Trump – £4.3million
2. Ronnie O’Sullivan – £3.2million
3. Kyren Wilson – £2.9million
4. Mark Allen – £2.5million
5. Mark Selby – £2.4million
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