Ronnie O'Sullivan would 'rather die' than watch the England game

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The ongoing 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia is a topic for everyone, even for snooker players. Ronnie "the Rocket" O'Sullivan, one of the world's greatest professional snooker players from Britain, said that he is a huge fan of Argentina's Lionel Messi and, when asked about his home team England, would rather die than watch their games.

O'Sullivan used to admit in public that he admired Messi. When asked if he's a football fan, the Rocket replied that he's a fan of Messi.

"I’m a Messi fan. Once you watch Messi, there is no point watching the other stuff, it’s all downhill from Messi. Who cares (about his missed penalty kick), as long as he’s on the pitch, it’s total class, even watching him walk around the pitch is class," wrote O'Sullivan on Twitter on Monday.

O'Sullivan said he's a fan of Argentina's Lionel Messi. /VCG Photo

However, known for his candor and unrestrained behavior, O'Sullivan had to compromise for his son, who roots for Arsenal of the Premier League. In support of his son, the Rocket said he could not imagine how terrible it would be to live with an Arsenal fan for over a decade.

When fans asked him on Twitter if he will watch the England game at the 2018 FIFA World Cup, O'Sullivan became himself again by answering: "Hi mate, I refuse to watch numptys, I only watch good talent," and "Na mate, my time is precious."

Harry Kane brought a win to England with two goals. /VCG Photo

A fan named "J.Mac" put two choices in front of the Rocket: 1. Watch the England game 2. Spend 30 minutes with Barry Hearn talking about snooker politics. O'Sullivan answered that he’d "Rather die, mate."

In their first game in Group G against Tunisia at the Volgograd Arena on Monday, England took the win 2-1 thanks to a last-gasp goal from the team's captain, Harry Kane. This was their first victory for the first game at the FIFA World Cup in 12 years.