Mark Allen has shared which snooker player was his favourite to watch when he was growing up.
The Northern Ireland potter enjoyed a good season during 2023/24 ending it as the world number one.
Allen won five titles last year and ended it on top of the pile with the new season to get underway properly in August.
The talented player is proving a decent ambassador for the game of snooker and was a useful pundit during the coverage of the World Championships earlier this year.
Now, Allen has been delivering his opinion on some of the game’s greatest players.
- READ MORE: Mark Allen shares his favourite opponent
Mark Allen names his favourite player growing up
It’s a hot topic of discussion and in truth, most players name Ronnie O’Sullivan as the player they’ve enjoyed watching the most.
However, Allen has gone against the grain and has claimed that he enjoyed watching another player more than the Rocket.
He told the Framed podcast: “It was always Stephen Hendry. He was dominating in the mid-to-late 90s when I first took an interest in snooker.
“He’s a real idol of mine and I was fortunate enough to meet him early in my career and he’s always been good to me over the years.
“A real good guy and what a player.”
Allen will crave big titles when season gets underway
Although the Antrim native has won 16 titles during his career, he’s not been overly successful in the big three events.
The world crown has still escaped his grasp although he has won both the UK Championship and The Masters.
Allen will be craving more though and now he’s world number one he will want more of the game’s big titles.
The new season is upon us with some players choosing to take part in the Championship League which got underway last week.
Allen isn’t one of those players though and his season will get underway in August when the big tournaments get underway.
Hendry is a sound role model for Allen to look up to.
His mentality was to win at all costs and perhaps a more ruthless approach can help Allen win more of snooker’s top prizes in the near future.