Zhao Xintong, 28, tipped to become richest snooker player in history and dwarf Ronnie O’Sullivan’s earnings

ZHAO XINTONG has been tipped to become the richest snooker player in history.

Yet Asia’s first world champion has been warned by his manager that he is not allowed to splash too much cash despite his £500,000 title winnings.

The Chinese cueist flies home on Wednesday and if the reception he received outside the Crucible is any gauge, he will be mobbed on his return.

Hordes of fans waited patiently for him outside the Stage Door to the Sheffield theatre following his 18-12 win over Mark Williams – and they were back again on Tuesday morning for selfies and autographs.

Sheffield-based Xintong, 28, has the potential, less than a year after his comeback from a 20-month corruption ban, to earn enormous amounts on and off the table.

Ronnie O’Sullivan has earned close to £15million in career prize money but that could be dwarfed by Xintong if he dominates the game.

WPBSA chairman Jason Ferguson said: “Xintong has the potential to become the richest earning snooker player in the history of the sport.

“That’s quite a bold statement when you think about the titles that Stephen Hendry and Ronnie O’Sullivan won.

“But the size of the market is huge and when you see the association of the brands who want to partner with snooker, it has endless potential.

“Let’s sing the praises of this young boy. He’s an amazing talent. To go all the way in this is nothing short of a miracle.

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“This is one of the biggest occasions snooker has ever seen.

“We’ve seen the growth in the China market and we’ve seen the size and scale of grass-roots development underneath that.

“To see a world champion returning to China a national hero is really going to send the sport to another level.”

So much of this year’s tournament had been framed by the 40th anniversary of the 1985 Black Ball Final, one of the significant moments in the sport’s history and enduring popularity.

Xintong’s victory, albeit tainted by his past involvement in a match-fixing scandal, could have a similar impact in the Far East.

There are more than 300,000 official snooker and billiards clubs in China and it is played by hundreds of millions of people.

Ferguson reckons opening up this key Far Eastern market might open doors at IOC level and help their chances of being part of a future Olympic Games, maybe as soon as Brisbane 2032.

He said: “We’re talking to all the multi-sport bodies. There’s a lot of politics involved and these bids are about multi-cue sports.

‘Probably the best potter’

“It’s quite complicated. But at the end of the day, the size of snooker now, how important China is to the IOC, someone has to look at this today and say this is now snooker’s time.

“It’s a game-changer for us if we get in somewhere like the Olympics. The Paralympics may be another route.”

Williams – who downed shots at the after-party while Xintong left after just an hour – called his opponent “ probably the best potter I’ve ever seen”.

The Welshman, 50, said: “Good luck to him. I’m sure he’s going to earn a few quid out of this.

“He could dominate or at least give Judd Trump and Kyren Wilson a run for their money. We’ve got a new superstar.

“I’m sure there are Chinese companies ready to throw zillions at him already.

Ronnie O’Sullivan comparisons

“It’s great for our sport to have someone attacking and young. He’s 28. Not a Luke Littler but similar.

“He’s as close and as good to watch as O’Sullivan when he was younger.

“He just walks round the table as if he’s going to the toilet, strolling, and pots from anywhere and walks around without a care in the world.

“Two minutes later he’s on 65, and you have no idea how he’s got 60 just like that.”

Xintong’s manager Victoria Shi – who runs an academy in Sheffield – will make sure he does not get too big for his boots as the money floods in.

She said: “Let him enjoy it, but if he enjoys it too much, I’ll tell him off. I will. He practises for six or seven hours a day. He works hard.

“He’s the first Asian world champion. That’s huge. Its like if Tottenham won the Premier League and Son [Heung-min] was the first Asian footballer to win. It’s the same.”