World ranking: 5
Last five seasons: 3-2-2-1-1
Date of birth: 13-01-69
Lives: Auchterarder, Perthshire
Turned professional: 1985
Ranking tournament victories: 32 - Grand Prix 1987, 1990, 1991, 1995; British Open 1988, 1991, 1999; Asian Open 1989, 1990; Dubai Duty Free Classic 1989, 1990, 1993; UK Championship 1989, 1990, 1994, 1995, 1996; Embassy World Championship 1990, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1999; Regal Welsh 1992, 1997; International 1993; Regal Scottish 1997, 1999; European Open 1993 (Dec), 1994; Thailand Masters 1998
Last season's prize money: £288,950
Career prize money (up to start of 2001-2002 season): £6,956,186
Highest tournament break: 147 - eight times

When it comes to a debate on the greatest snooker player of all time there can be only one conclusion - Stephen Hendry.

The facts speak for themselves - 32 ranking tournament victories, seven Embassy world titles and more than 500 century breaks. No other player has yet passed 300.

No 1 on the world ranking list for eight years, he has also captured five UK Championships, three British Opens and six Benson and Hedges Masters titles, amassing well over £6million in prize money in the process.

Hendry made his first appearance at The Crucible back in 1986 as a 17-year-old. Four years later, he became the youngest ever world champion, beating Jimmy White 18-12.

The 'Whirlwind' was again on the receiving end for three successive finals from 1992. Hendry showed all his fighting qualities in 1992, coming from 14-8 down to win 10 frames in a row. The following year's battle was just as intense and in a pulsating finish, Hendry triumphed 18-17.

Nigel Bond and Peter Ebdon succumbed in 1995 and 1996 but Hendry lost 18-12 to Ken Doherty in the 1997 final and then went down 10-4 to White in the first round the following year.

Had the Hendry era come to an end? Not quite. He returned 12 months later to beat Welshman Mark Williams 18-11 and make it a magnificent seven, surpassing the modern-day record of six wins he had shared with Ray Reardon and Steve Davis.

The seventh title meant everything, prompting Hendry to say: "Without doubt, this is worth more than the other six titles put together. It was the one last ambition I had in snooker and I've proved I can do it."

Hendry's hopes of an eighth world crown were dashed by little known qualifier Stuart Bingham in the first round in 2000 and he was outplayed 13-5 by Matthew Stevens in the quarter-finals in 2001.

"Matthew did to me what I used to do to players. I've dished out plenty of punishment to players so I've got to be big enough to take it," he said.

The 2000-2001 season was the first since 1988-89 that Hendry had failed to win a world ranking title. His last success came in the British Open in September, 1999.

He did, however, manage to win the invitation Rothmans Grand Prix in Malta, thrashing Williams 7-1 in the final and compiling his eighth maximum break in the process. Hendry had become the first player to compile a 147 in a final in the 17th and deciding frame of the 1997 Charity Challenge against Ronnie O'Sullivan.

The other high point came in the Coalite Nations Cup at Reading, where he responded to being reappointed captain of the Scotland team by leading his troops to a 6-2 victory over the Republic of Ireland in the final.

Made an MBE by The Queen in 1994 and voted BBC Scotland's Sports Personality of the Year in 1987 and 1996, he was World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association Player of the Year in 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1996 and 1997. He was Young Player of the Year in 1988.