O'Sullivan then went on to clear the table to collect the �250,000 winner's cheque - and the one title that evaded his mentor Jimmy White.

The victory was made the more sweeter considering the personal problems O'Sullivan has had to overcome over the past few years.

His rollercoaster snooker career has seen him threaten to quit the game for good.

But his new-found mental strength has helped him capture the world title he so badly coveted.

The Rocket dominated from the early stages of the 35-frame final against the 1998 champion.

But he coupled his infamous attacking game with deft safety play, displaying all the virtues of a true all-round champion.

In front of Crucible crowd including former boxing world champion Naseem Hamed and Rolling Stones' guitarist Ronnie Wood, O'Sullivan produced some of his best snooker of the championship.

But Higgins, to his credit, produced a resilient performance and kept up the pressure when O'Sullivan made the rare mistake.

But the Scot will rue a crucial red missed in the 30th frame after notching a break of 60.

His miss allowed O'Sullivan to take the frame for a 17-13 lead, a platform which eventually helped him to take the 32nd frame - and the world title.