Snooker Legends. A role model?
We all wish to have someone to look up to. Admit it, there are people in your life whom you admire, right? Most likely, they have achieved success in a field where you also aspire to reach the top. Such individuals can provide motivation or, conversely, hinder you, because mere effort is not enough for success, and there is only one spot at the top of the mountain.
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The Best
Sports perhaps best embody the reliance on individual personalities. There are well-known examples: Lionel Messi in football, known even to housewives, or Alexander Ovechkin in hockey, who recently broke Wayne Gretzky's record, another legend. What does a child think about when they put on skates or boots? Of course, they want to reach the same heights as these magnificent athletes.
From the greater to the lesser. Snooker is far from being as popular a sport as football and hockey; it lags behind many sports and doesn't even make it into the top 10 rankings. This game is uninteresting to most fans as it lacks dynamics. Snooker is a peculiar territory for its own, winning a match means shining not only with technique but also with intellect, and only by having both of these qualities can one become a champion. One cannot exist without the other.
We will talk about the best snooker players of different years. Each of them is a legend and will remain in the memory of fans for a long time. This list is not exhaustive and at the same time debatable. But let's go through everything in order.
The 80s
How long ago that was. These years can be called the era of Steve Davis, who was shown on television more than Margaret Thatcher – that's how popular the snooker player was. Throughout his career, the Briton collected 73 titles, 28 of them victories in ranking tournaments. A six-time world champion, by the way.
We won't dwell on the titles, as the article could stretch on. What led to the birth of a legend? There are no objective reasons. Steve started playing snooker at the age of 12, although his father was not a player. The guy did not have perfect attributes but compensated for this with a will to win and a hatred of losing. Determination is a good quality for a person.
Stephen Hendry
The Scotsman is rightly considered one of the best players of all time. He has an extensive list of titles and records, and he was the forerunner of the modern generation of top players. If not for Hendry, we might not have known about Ronnie O'Sullivan.
Hendry won seven world championship titles. A result that deserves respect. Already in his third season, young Hendry achieved his first victories in ranking tournaments. That playing year, the Scotsman finished fourth in the rankings.
The 89/90 season brought Hendry the long-awaited world championship title. He became the youngest winner of the tournament in Sheffield at the age of 21. First place in the rankings was achieved.
Stephen did not defend the title the following year, but that was just the beginning. The crown was his from 1992 to 1996. No one could stop him. In the current tour, such dominance almost impossible.
The turning point marking the beginning of the decline in his career was the year 1999. It was then that the Scotsman won his last World Championship title. Hendry continued to win 1-2 tournaments per season and remained in the top ten, but the era of his undisputed dominance was over. A younger generation of players came to the forefront: the same O'Sullivan, John Higgins, and Mark Williams.
On our website, the date of Hendry's last match is January 25, 2024. It ended in a defeat to Ross Muir at the Welsh Open. Stephen intended to retire from the game at 27, having already become a millionaire by then, but he lasted much longer, earning over 8 million pounds in prize money. What kept him in the game? Perhaps a love for the game or simply habit. Or maybe it was excessive self-confidence? Now Hendry happily resides in Scotland, in the town of Auchterarder with his wife and two sons.
O'Sullivan
Understand, this article might be excessively long, and you might not want to read it to the end. We pay tribute to the feats of John Higgins and Mark Williams, who achieved magnificent results in snooker. But they were unlucky to emerge around the same time as the great and formidable Ronnie O'Sullivan, whose name transcended the game. His fame is all-encompassing, and fans continue to expect success from the snooker player at every tournament to this day.
Ronald's (his full name) sporting fate was predetermined from the start, as the entire family was involved in sports. Ronnie's grandfather, Mickey, was a well-known boxer, as were his brothers, and his father showed promise as a footballer in his youth. O'Sullivan himself first played snooker at the age of 4, at his cousin's house, and by 9, he made his first century break. His development was rapid, and by the age of 15, Ronnie became the youngest snooker player in the world to achieve a maximum break of 147 points. This was at the English Amateur Championship. And the records didn't stop there, as at 17, the Englishman won a ranking tournament.
O'Sullivan's life does not follow a smooth path. He is not a model of behavior, but this hardly bothers anyone. The year 1992 significantly changed Ronnie's behavior, as his parents ended up in prison. His father fatally stabbed a man in a drunken brawl and received a hefty sentence, and his mother was jailed shortly after for tax evasion. It was O'Sullivan who took the lead of the family, fortunately, by then, the prize money was enough to provide everyone with a decent living.
Do you think the adventures ended there? Not at all. In 1996, Ronnie himself received a suspended sentence. This happened at the World Championship due to a conflict with a referee who didn't like O'Sullivan's behavior and unnecessarily mentioned Ronnie's father in a rude manner. The sentence was accompanied by a fine and disqualification.
The Englishman is not only brilliant at the table but also in business. Ronnie invests in real estate and shops, and in in various fields. And we're not just talking about a public figure, but a seven-time world champion! The last title at the "Crucible" was won in 2022. Currently, Ronnie continues to compete in tournaments, but not as frequently as before. The 24/25 season was tough: it began with psychological issues, continued with long breaks, and ended with a semi-final at the World Championship. If it weren't for Zhao Xintong, who knows, there might have been eight victories in Sheffield.
Present Time
Have you noticed how difficult it is now to determine who is considered legendary? Previously, sports achievements were more in the foreground, but now public presence plays a significant role. Sometimes it's important not to be great, but to simply appear great. With this section, we want to conclude the article and summarize everything mentioned above.
Who are the idols of modern times in snooker? In our material, we practically did not mention John Higgins, Mark Williams, and completely forgot about Mark Selby. All these people remain in the game, but it seems difficult to consider them great. Should the popularization of the game be one of the criteria for greatness? Or not? Snooker has come a long way, and in any case, no one owes anything to anyone. Top players earn huge money for winning ranking events, and the last thing they care about is the popularity of the game. It is quite possible that the concept of a legend is a relative term.
Let's take the current ranking leaders – Judd Trump and Kyren Wilson. Both are under forty, yet they have already been world champions. Their competitors have plenty of victories in other ranking tournaments as well. But how many people have been inspired to pick up a cue by watching their game? To be honest: neither Trump nor Wilson can attract a large fan audience. These guys are too calm and show no emotions at all. It is quite possible that in a decade, the situation will be different, but not now. Remember how Judd performed in the last World Championship, specifically the match against Mark Williams. Is this the game of a legend?
P.S
And in the end, we will answer the question posed in the title of the article. The answer is no. Snooker players are not role models. Many of them are undoubtedly obsessed with winning and hate losing. But there's nothing surprising about that, as that's how any person is wired. And there's no need to talk about personal qualities anymore, as life situations vary. You probably wouldn't want to go through what Ronnie O'Sullivan has endured. It's not certain that you have talents like Judd Trump. Everyone has their own path, full of victories and disappointments, and the only person you should take as an example is YOURSELF.
