In 2025, many top players reached unprecedented heights, achieving spectacular victories and setting new records. However, only one snooker player can be named ‘Player of the Year’.
Determining the best snooker player of 2025 proved to be a difficult task. Many top players achieved victories — trophies were won by many, but none of the snooker players stood out with clear superiority over the rest.
From historic achievements at major tournaments to consistent performances at the most prestigious ones, many of the participants can boast impressive results.
Let’s take a closer look at the main contenders for SnookerHQ’s Player of the Year award in 2025. First on the list is Zhao Xintong.
Zhao Xintong
Zhao Xintong’s triumphant performance at this year’s World Snooker Championship cannot be overlooked. After receiving an invitation as an amateur and showing decent results in the Q Tour, Zhao sensationally overcame the initial qualifying stage.
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The 28-year-old athlete defeated Jack Jones, Lei Peifan and Chris Wakelin, and then advanced to the semi-finals at the Crucible Theatre.
Ronnie O’Sullivan was duly swept aside in the semi-finals. Zhao subsequently became the first Chinese World Snooker Champion (among men), defeating Mark Williams 18-12 in the final.
Apart from his success at the Riyadh Season Snooker Championship, the following months were fairly quiet for Xintong. But his performance in Sheffield will never be forgotten.
And although Zhao had a difficult past, his triumph was a turning point for the entire sport.
Mark Selby
Mark Selby had an unfortunate start to 2025, exiting the Masters tournament at an early stage and losing in the first round of the World Championship at the Crucible.
However, despite these disappointing results, the Joker from Leicester showed exceptional consistency throughout the year.
In February, Mark won the Championship League and the Welsh Open. He then repeated his success towards the end of the year, adding two more significant trophies to his collection.
The experienced 42-year-old and former Tour Championship finalist won the Champion of Champions title for the first time in his career, followed by a spectacular victory at the UK Championship.
Kyren Wilson
After his success at the Shanghai Masters in early August, many considered Kyren Wilson the obvious candidate for the title of best snooker player of the year.
It was his third victory in just over seven months, adding to his previous successes in the second half of last season at the German Masters and Players Championship. The Warrior started 2025 by reaching the Masters final. And he seemed to have established himself as a multiple winner on the tour. But since then, his form has deteriorated noticeably.
Understandably distracted by his wife’s health problems, the world number two this season can boast only a couple of quarter-final appearances in ranking tournaments.