Snooker is a beautiful sport to watch and enjoy. The World Snooker Championships is the most illustrious title in the game, and many greats have won the highest accolade to etch their name into the history of the sport.
Of course, debates about who is the best to ever do it arise every time the Crucible in Sheffield opens its doors for the premier event, and all fans have their opinions.
So to add fuel to the argument and promote more debate over the silky green cloth, here are our top 10.
Ranking criteria
To help guide how we rank the players, a criterion was followed. We looked at:
- Performance and achievements
- Influence on the game
- Consistency and longevity
- The awards and recognitions
From these criteria, the following list was compiled of who might just be the 10 best snooker players ever.
The top 10 best snooker players ever
10. Jimmy White
World Titles: 0
The best player to never win a world title? It’s definitely what many think. Jimmy White was a fan favourite who reached six world finals and won everything apart from the world title. White was electric at the table, with fearless attacking play - hence his nickname ‘The Whirlwind’ - and sublime shot-making. He played in a golden era against legends, which will be featured later on the list, but was arguably the most popular of them all.
9. Neil Robertson
World Titles: 1
Ranking Titles: 25
Whilst Jimmy Whit may be the best player to never win, Neil Robertson is one of the best players to have only won one. He is the most successful player not from the UK and is the only non-UK-born player to have completed snooker's Triple Crown - winning the World Snooker Championship, Masters and UK Championship. He has over 900 century breaks and has one of the smoothest, most technically perfect cue actions in the game.
8. Ray Reardon
World Titles: 6
Regarded as the first true snooker superstar in the 70s, Ray Reardon was nicknamed ‘Dracula’ for his appearance but also brought a cold tactical brilliance to the snooker table. He dominated the 70s, with six world titles and has to be considered one of the best ever, as he brought professionalism and consistency to an evolving sport and became the sport's first ever number one player when rankings were established in 1976.
7. Mark Selby
World Titles: 4
Ranking Titles: 24
‘The Jester from Leicester’ is a four-time world champion and a ruthless player. He has a reputation as being one of the hardest men to beat in the sport and can win both beautifully and ugly. He has had periods of pure dominance in a period when the game is seeing numerous of the best to ever play it.
6. Judd Trump
World Titles: 1
Ranking Titles: 30
Another player whose one world title does not show his dominance and impact on the sport. Judd Trump will feature higher up this list in the years to come, not just because of his explosive potting, flair, creativity, cue control and shot selection, but also because of his trophy haul. He is currently in fourth place on the list of all-time ranking event winners, having won 30 ranking titles and five Triple Crown titles. In the past few years, he has constantly been the top-ranked player in the world, holding it consistently for two years from August 2019 to August 2021.
5. Mark Williams
World Titles: 3
Ranking Titles: 26
Another multiple world title winner, Mark Williams, is a class act that has left many opponents scratching their heads at how to beat him. He has natural flair and can still win big well into his 40s. He has won seven Triple Crown titles to go with the three world titles and, to date, is the only player to win all three versions of the professional world championship - the World Snooker Championship, the Six-red World Championship and the World Seniors Championship.
4. John Higgins
World Titles: 4
Ranking Titles: 33
John Higgins is a four-time World Champion with an elite all-around game. He has been around the top of the snooker world for over 25 years now, and 'The Wizard of Wishaw' reads the game like few others ever have. His longevity, adaptability, and total mastery of the cloth make him an all-time great, along with the 33 ranking titles, too.
3. Steve Davis
World Titles: 6
Ranking Titles: 28
A pioneer of the sport and the man who ruled the 80s of the sport. Steve Davis won six world titles in his career and 28 ranking titles, held the prestigious number-one ranking for most of the decade and became the first player to make over £1 million in prize money. Known as ‘The Nugget, ’ Davis was a tactical genius with superb cue ball control who now has control over the decks, becoming a DJ in his later years. He is also the only snooker player to have won the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award, which he did in 1988.
2. Stephen Hendry
World Titles: 7
Ranking Titles: 36
Steven Hendy was known as the King of the Crucible. Between 1990 and 1999, Hendry featured in all but two World Championship finals and won seven world titles. He turned professional at only 16 and was the youngest world champion in the sport. He has 36 ranking titles - the second most - and the seven world titles are the equal most. Success came from his relentless attacking style that simply destroyed many an opponent. He was a benchmark of greatness for a generation.
1. Ronnie O'Sullivan
World Titles: 7
Ranking Titles: 41
Like many lists of all-time greats, you can guess who would be number one. ‘The Rocket’ Ronnie O’Sullivan was always going to be at the summit because he is the best to ever do it. O’Sullivan is arguably the most naturally gifted player ever, who has flair, speed, precision and outrageous skill like no other player. He has the equal most world titles, a record eight Masters titles and a record eight UK Championship titles, the most ranking titles, the youngest ever ranking title winner, the oldest winner of all three Triple Crown events, the fastest competitive maximum break and a list of accomplishments that can go on.
Debates, Summary of rankings, and Reflection on the evolution of the sport
The list has favoured a lot more modern players, many of whom are still playing nowadays. Legacy has had a role in the rankings, however, the evolution of the game to what it is now leaves a real debate about whether the players of old could even live with the modern generation of talent.
With such a bigger pool of players now too, competition is at the highest level it has ever been, making many players strive harder and become better.
Jimmy White is on the list despite never winning a title, but if the ranking were based solely on that, then many other players like Joe Davis, who won the first 15 World Championships on either side of the Second World War, would feature.
He has an honourable mention here, along with Alex Higgins, who has two world championships and was an amazingly popular player in the 70s and 80s.
Sadly, he missed out along with the likes of Shaun Murphy and Ding Junhui, who are two more modern players who have a hat in the fight. Snooker is undoubtedly at its most competitive now, and new world champions - see Kyren Wilson in 2024 - can easily be made.
The sport has had several questions raised on how it will evolve over the years. People have asked about making it shorter or introducing a shot clock to make the game more exciting and bring in new crowds.
There have been other queries about changing the ball colours to make the sport more visually appealing or changing some rules.
The sport is reaching a juncture where it may have to offer more than the tried and tested format to appeal to a changing audience.
However, at the moment, the sport is still held as a gentleman's game that has a long history of talent, flair and greatness.