Is Shaun Murphy underrated? Ranking 'The Magician' among snooker's all-time greats

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Shaun Murphy stole the show last month as he waltzed to Ally Pally glory, his fourth success in a Triple Crown event. ‘The Magician’ boasts a super impressive snooker CV with a plethora of ranking titles and as a mainstay within snooker’s elite top 16 for two decades, but how does his record stack up in the all-time list?

Murphy’s game is undeniably one of the most pleasing to watch and his silky smooth cue action has long been labelled one of the best in the business. Combined with his excellent long-potting ability and laser-like precision with the rest, he is one of the game’s great entertainers.

His shock 2005 World Championship win as a qualifier still stands as one of the greatest underdog performances in the sport’s history, along with his impressive rallies in other major events over the last 20 years. This piece assesses his standing and credentials in the list of the game’s greatest players.

Formative years - Murphy’s rise to notoriety

Murphy took to the baize at the young age of eight after being gifted a snooker table at Christmas by his parents. It did not take long for his prodigious talent to make itself evident, achieving his first century break within two years.

After showing such signs of promise and a trophy-laden junior career, Murphy turned professional in 1998 at just 15 and quickly established himself as one of the sport’s hot prospects. He progressed through the ranks, and in 2000, Murphy received the World Snooker Newcomer of the Year.

Silverware was not far away, winning his first tournament at the 2000 Benson & Hedges Championship. Perfection was next up, achieving his first maximum break in professional competition at the same event the following year.

Murphy then made his Crucible debut in 2002, where he lost to Stephen Hendry 10-4. He persevered to qualify again the following year, losing out to 1997 world champion Ken Doherty on the final black in the first round. Murphy failed to qualify for the 2004 World Championship, losing his final qualifying match 7-10 to Stuart Pettman.

2005 World Championship - Murphy lifts the Crucible crown

On his third visit to the Crucible, Murphy stunned the snooker world by winning the World Championship title.

At only 22 years old, he became the second youngest player in history to lift the trophy, a feat only surpassed by Stephen Hendry when he lifted the crown in 1990 at the age of 21. Murphy also became the lowest-ranked player to ever win the World Championship at world number 48 and only the third qualifier to win the title following Alex Higgins and Terry Griffiths.

The path to glory was not at all easy for Murphy, having to pass two rounds of qualifying before even getting to the main event. At the famous venue, he defeated number 12 seed Chris Small in round one to register his first match win there before eliminating former world champions John Higgins, Steve Davis and Peter Ebdon in consecutive rounds.

In the final against 2000 runner-up Matthew Stevens - who led for much of the match - Murphy emerged victorious from a very close contest. At 16-16, ‘The Magician’ produced his best snooker to win the final two frames and complete an unforgettable Crucible triumph.

Shaun Murphy won snooker’s ultimate prize in 2005 as a qualifierShaun Murphy won snooker’s ultimate prize in 2005 as a qualifier
Shaun Murphy won snooker’s ultimate prize in 2005 as a qualifier | Getty Images/Clive Rose

Shaun Murphy’s career statistics - how much prize money has he won?

According to Cuetracker.net, Shaun Murphy has total career earnings of just over £6,000,000 across 24 seasons.

Along with Murphy’s World Championship success two decades ago, he has won the other two Triple Crown events. He took the UK Championship title in 2008, alongside two Masters titles, one in 2015 and last month in the 2025 edition.

In total, Murphy has racked up 12 ranking titles, including the World Grand Prix, Welsh Open, Players Championship and Tour Championship.

In terms of break-building, Murphy has made over 700 century breaks, the seventh-most in history. Murphy has also made nine maximum 147 breaks - only Ronnie O’Sullivan, John Higgins and Stephen Hendry have made more.

Where does Murphy rank among the other snooker greats?

While Murphy has almost always stayed near the top of the sport’s world rankings, he has had frequent spells of inconsistent form, with a fantastic season sometimes followed by an average, or even poor one for his high standards.

In terms of the modern era, Murphy’s 2025 Masters victory puts him in joint 11th for the most Triple Crown event victories. He is one of only 11 players to have completed snooker’s Triple Crown (having won at least one World Championship, UK Championship and Masters throughout his career).

Most Triple Crown event wins in the modern era (1969 onwards):

Ronnie O’Sullivan - 23

Stephen Hendry - 18

Steve Davis - 15

Mark Selby - 9

John Higgins - 9

Ray Reardon - 7

Mark Williams - 7

Neil Robertson - 6

Judd Trump - 5

Alex Higgins - 5

Shaun Murphy / Ding Junhui / John Spencer / Cliff Thorburn - 4

Before the World Championship entered its current format in 1969, there had been several other multiple-time winners of the world title. Joe Davis won 15 world titles, John Pulman and Fred Davis won 8 world titles each. The Masters and UK Championship did not come on to the professional circuit until the 1970s.

Murphy’s greatest moments stick clearly in the collective memory of snooker fans, but they perhaps haven’t come around as often to be regarded inside the all-time top 10 list of greats.

It would be reasonable to currently place him in the 11-15 bracket, although, another Crucible win - making him a multiple-time world champion - may give him a strong claim to move into the top 10.

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