sport news Luca Brecel spent £500k of World Snooker Championship prize money on FOUR ... trends now
Luca Brecel is a man in a hurry. The Belgian Bullet wowed the Crucible last year with his fast and furious style of play. And away from the baize, he is just as quick, wasting no time in burning through his £500,000 prize money — all of it going on flash cars.
Just days after his shock World Championship triumph last May, Brecel spent half of his winnings on a Ferrari 488. A few months later, he added a BMW M4 and a Range Rover Sport to his growing garage, and then he bought girlfriend Laura a Porsche Taycan for her birthday.
‘I think I deserved it,’ says Brecel with a smile. ‘I got a Ferrari and a couple of others just to enjoy myself sometimes. It was just a bit of fun — and why not?’
But fun was not the only reason behind Brecel’s spending spree.
After a poor start to the new season, the 29-year-old sensed he had lost his hunger for success having already landed snooker’s biggest prize. Brecel thought splashing all of his cash on cars would drive him to win matches so he could replenish his bank balance.
Luca Brecel spent a chunk of last year's £500,000 prize on a Ferrari 488 (above)
Brecel romped to the Snooker World Championship victory in Sheffield last year
The Belgian, pictured with his other half Laura Vanoverberghe, has been living the high life
‘I needed to change something to feel that inspiration again,’ admits the world No 4 ahead of his Crucible title defence against David Gilbert today. ‘The reason why I haven’t played so well this season is because I didn’t want to go to tournaments.
‘It was just my mental state. It wasn’t a lack of practice or anything else — it was just no hunger. That’s how I felt in the beginning, but it’s totally different now. I feel like I have got that hunger back now. And it’s even more than before.
‘The bad season maybe helps me for the next five to 10 seasons because I never want to be the same again. I am in a much better place now than I used to be.
‘Everything I do in my life now it is to try and become a better player, to become more in control on the table. I am really hungry — literally as well because I’m on a diet!’
Brecel says he has lost more than a stone since he began his diet after ‘eating too much’ following his incredible Crucible triumph
