Stephen Hendry

Seven-time World Champion who dominated snooker through the 1990s — won five consecutive World titles.

Stephen Gordon Hendry was born in Edinburgh in 1969 and turned professional in 1985 at the age of 16. At 17 he became the youngest player to win a professional ranking event — a record that still stands. He won a record seven World Championships at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield: 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1999 and 2000. He reached the World Championship final ten times in total. He held the world number one ranking for eight consecutive years from 1990 to 1998 and was ranked number one for 255 weeks overall. He won a record 36 ranking event titles. He made 775 century breaks in professional competition — a record he held for many years — and compiled 11 maximum 147 breaks. His aggressive, attacking playing philosophy — always targeting maximum breaks, always playing for winning positions rather than safety — transformed professional snooker and defined the sport's golden era in the 1990s. He won the Masters six times and the UK Championship five times. He was appointed MBE in 1993. He retired in 2012 before making a brief competitive return. His seven world titles and overall dominance of the game across a decade place him as the greatest snooker player in the history of the sport.

Aggressive attacking style with exceptional break-building ability

Greatest snooker player of all time with record 7 World Championships

• World Champion 7x
• UK Champion 3x
• Masters 5x