4. Ronnie The Rocket O'Sullivan
If youre looking for a personality, look no further than Ronnie. Seen by the majority as the most talented snooker player in the sports history, OSullivan is well-known for his flamboyant style and tempestuous relationship with the game and media. Indeed, if it wasnt for this fluctuating interest in the game, his dominance would almost certainly be certified in a whole number of historical records. Rarely does a season go by without a threat of him quitting the sport; when the day comes that he finally does so, it will be a sad day for snooker around the world. OSullivan has done for snooker what David Beckham has done for football in the US with LA Galaxy, or what Beth Tweddle has done for gymnastics. He believes (and rightly so) that snooker needs a showman, and that those frames where no risks are taken are the same frames that put people off of the sport. Ronnie promoted power snooker a variant with 9 reds, scantily clad ladies and a rowdy audience which aimed to do for snooker what Twenty20 did for cricket exactly for this reason. The Rockets portfolio is peppered with record after record. The four-time world champion was the youngest ever winner of the UK championship, made the fastest 147 in snooker history (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3hv9cCx5xg - worth a watch even for snooker naysayers), and shares the title of most maximum breaks with Stephen Hendry. OSullivan finds himself in second place to Hendry on a variety of records number of century breaks, total prize money, and more largely due to a recurring boredom with the sport. His addiction to controversy is perhaps the other reason for his failure to win a SPOTY award; the Rocket has failed drug tests, assaulted media personnel, and has even managed to get into trouble for talking about his penis.
3 & 2. George Best and Bobby Charlton
George Best was the greatest footballer ever to come out of Northern Ireland. Manchester Uniteds fans consider him a legend, having been in the side that won the 1968 European Cup just ten years after the Munich Air Disaster and scoring
a classy goal in the process. At the age of 22, hed already won the English First Division, the European Cup, and the Ballon DOr most recently won by a certain Lionel Messi. Best become one of the worlds first celebrity footballers, and was known for his extravagant lifestyle; the BBC reports that he would always defend his way of life by saying I spent 90% of my money on women, drink and fast cars. The rest I wasted. This lifestyle, coupled with some poor career choices, led to his downfall, and his tragic death by alcoholism in 2005. He left Manchester United at the age of 27, and found himself playing for all sorts of clubs all over the world from Fulham to San Jose Earthquakes to numerous Irish League teams but was unable to recapture the brilliance of his time at United. This was not the only reason for a lack of a SPOTY award, however: he also found himself stuck in the middle of the England national teams finest years, having won the World Cup in 1966 on home soil with the likes of Geoff Hurst, Bobby Moore, and his Manchester United teammate Bobby Charlton. Charlton widely accepted as being one of the greatest midfielders of all time twice came second in the SPOTY voting, in 1958 and 1959. He is famed for captaining United and scoring twice in their European Cup win, ten years after surviving the Munich crash. He, too, won the Ballon DOr (in 1966) but shunned the limelight, unlike his Northern Irish teammate. His lack of a SPOTY award was likely due to his lack of playing time in the 1958 World Cup, the 1958 FA Cup final loss, and his quiet performance in the 1966 World Cup final (due to being neutralised by Franz Beckenbauer). Charlton is widely seen as one of the catalysts that got Manchester United going again after the Munich tragedy. Considering what he went through, as well as all the success that he achieved, it is perhaps ludicrous that Bobby never won a SPOTY award. The BBC recognised that in 2008, when they awarded him a Lifetime Achievement Award; he was also knighted by the Queen in the nineties. He continues to be a director at United at the ripe old age of 75.