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JET-SETTING Luca Brecel has shared his appreciation for Leandro Trossard, who recommended the top private jet service for him to book.
The Belgian Bullet, 30, enjoys a close friendship with the 30-year-old Arsenal winger and will be supporting him in tomorrow’s first leg of the Champions League semi-final against Paris Saint-Germain.
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On Saturday afternoon, the unique player jetted from Belgium to the UK on the day of his last 16 Crucible match against Ding Junhui.
The 2023 world snooker champion took off from Maastricht in Holland, landing at East Midlands Airport at 3:17 PM.
From there, he drove for an hour to Sheffield, managing to stick to his flight schedule despite potential weather challenges or landing restrictions.
Opting for a private jet for the 68-minute trip allowed him to return home to Maasmechelen for the night.
He arrived in England just three and a half hours before facing Ding in the first session, yet his performance remained unaffected—he concluded the session leading 7-1.
Traveling with his father Carlo aboard a C510 Cessna Citation Mustang, which seats up to four passengers, they cruised at a speed of 630 km/h with a range of up to 1500 kilometers.
The world No. 7 eventually triumphed over Ding 13-4 on Monday night, needing only one frame in the third session, earning £50,000 for his quarter-final berth.
However, a significant chunk of that prize went towards funding the 350-mile journey.
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Brecel secured his first-round win with a score of 10-7 against Ryan Day last Thursday but opted not to remain in South Yorkshire.
On Friday, he playfully hinted at his adventurous endeavor on Instagram: “I’ve got a private flight booked to Sheffield tomorrow at 15:00; anyone from Belgium who wants to join? DM me.”
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Brecel elaborated on his spontaneous choices, saying: “I don’t like to linger too long.
“I always aim to arrive as late as possible. Even today, I got here 15 minutes before my match.
“That’s always been my approach. As long as it works, it’s fine.
“I booked it just the day before. Naturally, I know Trossard from Arsenal. He assisted me with the arrangements.
“It was quite simple. He gave me the number, and I handled the rest. I won’t disclose the cost.
World Snooker Championship 2025
WE are BACK at the Crucible for another exhilarating fortnight of snooker action!
A new champion is assured this year as defending champion Kyren Wilson was eliminated in the first round following an impressive performance from Lei Peifan.
Ronnie O’Sullivan is set to return to the snooker table after missing recent events, while world No. 1 Judd Trump enters the tournament as the frontrunner.
Other notable contenders include Shaun Murphy and John Higgins.
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“If there’s a delay, there’s a delay. I allotted sufficient time, it seems, to get here.
“I’m not certain if I’m performing at the same level as in 2023, but I feel more relaxed and less pressured about winning the title because when I reached the final, it felt like a golden opportunity.
“I believe I can make it back there and win again. There’s not as much stress. It’s not draining my energy too much—yet.”
If he had arrived late for the 7 PM start on Saturday, he would have faced a penalty of losing at least one frame—and if significantly delayed, could have faced disqualification.
This kind of situation has occurred previously this season—embarrassingly, Brecel was disqualified from qualifying for the Xi’an Grand Prix on July 26 due to not showing up.
Last summer, he got caught in heavy traffic and missed his scheduled match against Hammad Miah in Leicester.
This allowed the Englishman to advance to the main draw of the second Chinese event of the season while Brecel missed out on the £177,000 top prize.
