Ronnie O’Sullivan and Ali Carter are set to renew their intense rivalry on Wednesday at the German Masters. The pair will clash in the round of 32 at the Tempodrom – an encounter that comes amid a long history of bad blood between the two English snooker stars, marked by on-table incidents and off-table barbs.

The feud traces its roots back to the early 2000s when O’Sullivan and Carter were once practice partners. However, tensions began to simmer publicly during the 2018 World Snooker Championship at the Crucible. In their second-round match, which O’Sullivan won 13-9, an infamous ‘shoulder barge’ incident occurred. As the players crossed paths at the table during the 20th frame, O’Sullivan appeared to deliberately bump into Carter.

“We touched shoulders before the second incident. So we’re sitting [close] together, it’s so tight [at the Crucible],” Carter told Stephen Hendry on his Cue Tips YouTube channel. “I became aware that the first one, he was walking back but there is plenty of room to go like that [walk past each other].

“I was aware that we’d touched shoulders on the way past and I’m thinking, ‘Does he want me to go like this, or like that?’ [leans over the snooker table]. I don’t know, if it was courteous you’d just go like that [moves to one side], but I was aware there was no giving way. The second time, he’s given it that to me [mimics shoulder barge]. I thought ‘Oh, god, what’s going on here?'”

Referee Paul Collier stepped in, hoping to deflate the tension despite O’Sullivan insisting he was “cool as a cucumber.” Carter vehemently disagreed and told Hendry his rival looked like he “wanted to kill him.”

“He looked absolutely raging,” he explained. “That was pretty much it. If it was an amateur you’d get your cue and go like that [hold it in front of him], push him out the way, wouldn’t you? The trouble is, general public don’t see that [O’Sullivan’s behaviour]. He’s very much using his authority to say, ‘This is my table, you’re just taking part here.'”

The rivalry lay dormant for several years but exploded back into the spotlight during the 2024 Masters final at Alexandra Palace. O’Sullivan won 10-7 to claim his eighth Masters title, but the post-match fallout stole the headlines.

Carter accused O’Sullivan of “snotting all over the floor” during the match, labeling it “disgusting” and “outrageous.” In response, O’Sullivan launched a scathing tirade in his press conference, telling Carter to “sort his f***ing life out” and suggesting he seek counselling for his issues, with the heated exchange later dubbed ‘snot-gate’ by fans and media.

“He can sit on it as far as I’m concerned,” O’Sullivan fumed. “I don’t give a f***. You know what he’s like, everybody knows what he’s like. He’s got issues. F******* why has he got issues with me? I’m not having it. I don’t care, grow some balls. I don’t give a f***. The more he brings it on, the more I f****** punish him every time.

“Absolutely. He’s just digging a grave for himself. He needs to sort his f****** life out. That’s it, I’ve said my piece. I’m not going to skirt around it anymore, tiptoeing on eggshells around someone like that.

“Playing snooker against someone like that is a nightmare. He’s not a nice person. It’s not a nice vibe he leaves around the table. I’ve said my piece, and you’re going to write what you’re going to write. I don’t give a s***. I’ve said it now, done. End of press conference? I suppose you’ve got your headlines, haven’t you?”

Months later, O’Sullivan admitted his regret over those comments, explaining: “Yeah. It’s just heat of the moment stuff. If I feel like I’ve got to say something I’ll say it. It’s nothing personal, just heat of the moment stuff. He’s entitled to say what he’s got to say, like I am.

“Do I regret saying it? Probably. I wish I’d kept my mouth shut and been a bit more polished with my answers, a bit more diplomatic.

“But I’ve said what I’ve said and that’s fine. It’s only words isn’t it? He goes back to his life, his family and I do. We only have to meet on the table, it’s not like we’re best mates but it’s fine, we’re both pretty grown up.”

Carter later expressed confusion over the feud, noting they had been “quite friendly” before, but admitted their relationship had soured. By the 2025 World Snooker Championship, the pair were drawn against each other in the first round, raising expectations of more drama.

O’Sullivan dominated with a 10-1 victory, but the aftermath suggested a thaw in relations. Carter praised O’Sullivan as “the greatest player of all time.” O’Sullivan reciprocated with mutual respect, and for a brief period, it seemed the hatchet had been buried. However, the peace was short-lived.

In late 2025, Carter reignited the feud with fresh comments ahead of the UK Championship. He explained that they were no longer on speaking terms after The Rocket tried to deny that he’d shoulder barged him, despite apologising for the incident.

“I don’t really have a relationship with Ronnie,” he told Bradford’s Telegraph and Argus. “Listen, he gets out of bed differently every day, so how can you have that relationship? When he’s alright, he’s fine, but when he’s not, he’s not, and a friendship can’t really work on terms like that.

“I basically stopped talking to him because he apologised to me for the shoulder barge, then tried to say he hadn’t. I remember the apology vividly because we were at a Novotel and he said sorry for what had happened at Sheffield. I told him it was no issue, because it was just heat-of-the-moment stuff.

“But I was playing him in the Northern Ireland Open during the Covid lockdown and [former player turned pundit] Alan McManus talked about it being a needle match between Ronnie and I.

“I told Alan that wasn’t the case at all, it was water under the bridge and we’d moved on. But then, before the match, Ronnie came up to me and said I was making it up that he’d apologised to me. “After that, I just thought, ‘What’s the point of talking to someone if they’re going to be like that?'”

Nevertheless, Carter emphasised his admiration for snooker’s greatest player, saying: “I’ve got the ultimate respect for Ronnie as a snooker player. He’s quite a funny guy actually, but he’s an odd character.”