Ronnie O’Sullivan gave Hossein Vafaei a lesson on the table (Picture: Getty Images)
Ronnie O’Sullivan told Hossein Vafaei that their feud was at an end and they can now be friends after their one-sided Crucible contest, reveals the Prince of Persia.
The Rocket dished out a snooker lesson to Vafaei, beating him 13-2 in the second round of the World Championship after the Iranian had criticised the world champion in a number of interviews.
Vafaei said O’Sullivan should retire because he is bad for snooker last year and added at this year’s World Championship that the Rocket is ‘a nice person when he’s asleep.’
O’Sullivan advised Vafaei, and anyone else, not to ‘rattle his cage’ and he proved to be right after thrashing the Prince of Persia with a session to spare.
However, they enjoyed a hug after the match and were both all smiles as they left the arena arm-in-arm.
Vafaei revealed what O’Sullivan said to him as they embraced after the contest, while also admitting that he regrets smashing the pack of reds from his break-off in the second frame, in what was an act of revenge for the Rocket doing the same against him in a German Masters qualifier last season.
‘He said “It’s all done, let’s be friends again”, and then we gave each other a hug,’ Vafaei explained to BBC Sport. ‘I regret the break-off, but I gave it back to him after he did it to me. I thought about it a lot, it wasn’t very nice when he did it to me.’
O’Sullivan and Vafaei hugged it out at the end of their match (Picture: Getty Images)
Vafaei was not regretful over his comments, though, happy to add some spice to the tournament and provide some off-table entertainment, which he feels is sometimes lacking.
‘It doesn’t matter, win or lose, I just lost to the greatest ever,’ he said. ‘I stand up in front of my fear, it doesn’t matter. I don’t care about the people saying whatever they want to say. At the end of the day it’s just words.
‘At the end of the day he played fantastic. No one plays snooker better than him. When he’s on the table, he’s just… He makes snooker look so easy. I was thinking “Eurgh, I have to compete with this guy on the table?!”
‘I get my lesson 100 per cent. But I know how to give the lesson to the other players – I’m going to be dangerous. I learned a few things in the game of him. It’s going to help me in the future.
‘Listen, we are 128 players and this sport, if we stay quiet, is not going to improve. This sport needs character and this sport needs someone to just say something.
‘Just let the people get interested about snooker otherwise it’s going to be very boring. People don’t have any stories to tell. I think people enjoyed it. Win or lose, I lost to the greatest ever.’
MORE : Ronnie O’Sullivan vs Hossein Vafaei: The story of their feud ahead of Crucible showdown
MORE : Ronnie O’Sullivan admits sadness over Hossein Vafaei feud but hopes for friendship
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‘I think people enjoyed it. Win or lose, I lost to the greatest ever.’