A pastime of all sports fans, snooker supporters are no different and always adamant when it comes to deciding the greatest players of all time.
Everyone has their favourites and their own criteria for forming their opinion. Could it be winning world titles? Joe Davis won the first 15 but doesn't make this list.
Jimmy White never did, but his skill and impact on the sport make him a shoo-in.
How do the modern players compare to the greats of the game's heyday in the 1970s and '80s?
Longevity certainly helps, and it's something all of our top 10 have in common, so let's look at who features in our countdown.
10 - Jimmy White
Most famous for losing his six world finals between 1984 and 1994, those near misses only endeared Jimmy White to the snooker public.
White has to be the best player never to win a world title, but his attacking style and flair were key to popularising the sport on television.
His most famous Crucible defeat was his final one in 1994, when he missed a black off its spot in the deciding frame and lost 18-17. However, that defeat only added to the Whirlwind's reputation as a flawed genius.
9 - Ray Reardon
Among the premier long potters in snooker's history, Ray Reardon ground opponents down with his supreme control of the table.
A six-time world champion, Reardon set the blueprint for future generations, playing the percentages better than any of his rivals and calculating his way through matches.
The Welshman was a relatively late developer, coming to prominence as the sport found its way, but his consistency and composure meant he rarely missed an opportunity to punish his rivals.
8 - Alex Higgins
We've had the Whirlwind, so let's look at the Hurricane, a truly remarkable talent who lacked focus and was never the heaviest scorer, but won world titles in 1972 and 1982.
Universally popular thanks to his shot-making and insatiable desire to attack, Alex Higgins was unstoppable when on a roll, recovering from 7-0 down to beat Steve Davis 16-15 in the final of the 1983 UK Championship.
Among the sport's greatest showmen, the audience fed off the Northern Irishman's charisma, making his matches, good or bad, unmissable.
7 - Mark Selby
Mark Selby became only the sixth man in history to win a fourth world title in 2021, but he hasn't always been popular among the public, with the 'Jester from Leicester' rarely living up to his name.
A specialist in safety play and a titan of tactics, Selby's break-building is often overshadowed and few move around the table as freely when he finds his rhythm.
Selby is a player few want to face when he's in the mood and his ability to match most opponents in all facets of the game makes him perennially dangerous.
6 - Judd Trump
A left-hander with a penchant for crowd-pleasing play, it is easy to compare Judd Trump to Jimmy White, albeit with one exception: Trump won the world title in 2019.
The Bristolian has embraced snooker's global reach, rarely missing a tournament and becoming the world's undisputed number one player.
Trump could do with winning another world title to cement his status among the greats, but few can match his consistent appetite to entertain.
5 - Mark Williams
Not possessing the power of many of the game's greats, Mark Williams has built a career featuring three world titles spread from 2000 to 2018 on cue-ball control and perfect touch.
Naturally self-effacing, Williams' affable personality is why he remains underrated.
However, there have been periods when he has appeared unbeatable and he isn't slowing down, winning the 2025 Xi'an Grand Prix.
4 - John Higgins
Appearing in eight world finals, winning four, John Higgins continues to compete at the highest level, including reaching the final of the International Championship in November 2025.
Few players can match Higgins' consistency, spending only one week out of the top 16 in the rankings from April 1995 to the time of writing.
His staying power is attributed to having the best all-around game of any player in history, allowing him to adapt to whatever challenges come his way.
3 - Steve Davis
Steve Davis dominated the 1980s, winning six world titles among his 80 professional trophies.
The Nugget's success was attributed to his almost unrivalled dedication, which saw him regularly practice for seven hours a day.
His rivals adopting a similar attitude arguably proved his downfall, but he set the standards that dragged snooker into its current professional era.
2 - Stephen Hendry
Like Davis in the '80s, Stephen Hendry's dominance was the story of the 1990s and was based on an almost robotic ability to build breaks, winning seven world titles between 1990 and 1999.
At his peak, Hendry was a winning machine, including taking the first five Masters tournaments.
Seemingly driven by a desire to destroy opponents, the Scot's technique started to fail him as the years went on, but his steely self-confidence remains, evidenced by his return to the tour in 2020.
1 - Ronnie O'Sullivan
The most talented player to ever take to the baize, 'Rocket' Ronnie O'Sullivan equalled Hendry's modern-era record of seven world titles with his Crucible success in 2022, and has also won eight Masters and UK crowns.
Unpredictable and outspoken, O'Sullivan's personality makes him popular with snooker fans, but it is his mercurial play that attracts most admirers.
Possessing power, poise and finesse, Ronnie's so good he could even beat some of his rivals left-handed.
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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group.
