Ronnie O'Sullivan has always been a man of simple pleasures.
Not one for glitz or glamour, the six-time world snooker champion has always remained down to earth despite his unrivalled achievements in the game. 'The Rocket' holds numerous records, including the most Triple Crown titles and the highest number of maximum breaks.
He's currently embroiled in a bid to win his seventh world crown at The Crucible, leading Judd Trump 14-11 going into the evening session. It hasn't been without controversy though, having been warned by officials following a series of spats with the match referee.
Should he prevail, he'll match Stephen Hendry's previously unrivalled number of seven world crowns. He'll also bag himself £500,000 in prize money - not that he's likely to spend it too lavishly.
Indeed, back in 2018, when he opted to buy a new home, he didn't go for a luxury villa abroad. And nor did he make enquiries about multi-million pound mansions in secluded spots of the UK.
The iconic player instead treated himself to a state of the art canal boat. According to The Sun, the 60-foot barge, named Morfe Lady Three, was moored on Regent's Canal, which runs across North and East London.
In a popular Eurosport clip, O'Sullivan showed TV presenter Matt Smith around the boat, explaining: "It's no big yacht, but it's alright." The clip showed the impressive kitchen area, living room, and bedroom set-up.
O'Sullivan told Smith: "I lived on a boat for about seven or eight years ago in London and I loved it. I spent about three or four months living on it but couldn't use it because I had to get back to work - but I always had it in my mind that I'd by another one."
And the 46-year-old explained the benefits of his intriguing purchase, implying it benefited him socially: "I couldn't sit in a hotel room but I come in, have a little kip, put the snooker on, the TV on, have a few friends come in. You don't feel like you're cooped up so much. It's nice to see water."
However, the satisfaction didn't last long. Just a year later, O'Sullivan reportedly put his new home back on the market, for a price of £129,950 - and didn't replace it afterwards.
Regardless, the experience may have prepared him well for his world championship semi-final this week in Sheffield, were he beat fellow veteran John Higgins 17-11. Only after he sat down on a seemingly wet chair though, soaking his trousers in the process.
In a post-match interview with Eurosport pundit Jimmy White, O'Sullivan did hint at a solution to the final. He pledged to bring a hairdryer into the arena for his clash with Trump.
