Timeline of Stephen Hendry’s career as seven-time world champ returns to action

The 51-year-old is coming out of retirement.

Stephen Hendry has come out of retirement by taking up the offer of an invitational card to compete on the World Snooker Tour for the next two seasons.

The seven-time world champion, dubbed the King of the Crucible, quit as a professional in 2012 but will now have an opportunity to add to his 36 ranking titles – a tally bettered only by Ronnie O’Sullivan.

Here, the PA news agency takes a look back at the 51-year-old’s remarkable career.

1969: Born January 13 in Edinburgh.

1983: Wins the Scottish Under-16 Championship.

1984: Wins the Scottish Amateur Championship, aged 15.

1985: Joins the professional tour aged 16 years and three months, becoming the youngest player ever to do so.

Snooker – 1988 World Snooker Championship – Second Round – Jimmy White v Stephen Hendry – Crucible Theatre, Sheffield — Stephen Hendry won his first world title against Jimmy White in 1990 (David Muscroft/PA)

1987: Wins his first ranking event, beating Dennis Taylor 10-7 in the Grand Prix final, and adds the British Open title.

1989: Wins the UK Championship against Steve Davis as part of a haul of three ranking titles, and also wins the first of five consecutive Masters crowns.

1990: Retains the UK Championship and wins his first World Championship by overcoming Jimmy White 18-12 in the final.

1992: Claims his second Crucible title, winning 10 successive frames to beat White 18-14 in the final. Also makes his first professional 147 break.

Snooker – Embassy World Snooker Championship – Final – Jimmy White v Stephen Hendry – Crucible Theatre, Sheffield — Stephen Hendry got the better of Jimmy White in four finals (Malcolm Croft/PA)

1994: Awarded the MBE by the Queen. Wins the world title for the third year in succession and the fourth time in his career after an 18-17 final win over White. Makes seven centuries in beating Ken Doherty 10-5 in the UK Championship final.

1995: Gets the better of Nigel Bond 18-9 in the World Championship final and claims his fourth UK crown against Peter Ebdon.

1996: Wins his fifth successive World Championship, matching Steve Davis and Ray Reardon’s total of six, and completes the World/UK Championship double for the third season in a row. Also wins sixth Masters title with a 10-5 win over O’Sullivan.

1998: Beaten 10-9 after a final-frame re-spotted black by Mark Williams in a memorable Masters final at Wembley.

1999: Wins the last of his seven Crucible crowns, beating Williams 18-11. Makes the first ever 147 in a ranking final at the following season’s British Open.

Snooker – Embassy World Snooker Championship – Final – Stephen Hendry v Mark Williams – Crucible Theatre, Sheffield — Stephen Hendry won the last of his Crucible crowns against Mark Williams in 1999 (Paul Barker/PA)

2005: Wins his last ranking title at the Malta Cup.

2009: Wins his 1,000th frame at the Crucible.

2011: Records the 10th maximum of his career, against Stephen Maguire at the Welsh Open.

Snooker – Betfred.com World Snooker Championships – Day Eleven – The Crucible Theatre — Stephen Hendry retired after losing to Stephen Maguire at the Crucible in 2012 (Nick Potts/PA)

2020: Reaches the semi-finals of the World Seniors Championship, losing 4-2 to eventual champion White, before it is announced on September 1 that he will take up a tour card for the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons.