When Muhammad Yousaf put Pakistan snooker on the global map

It has been 30 years since Muhammad Yousaf's historic victory at the IBSF World Snooker Championship in 1994, which brought glory to Pakistan and inspired a legacy of champions, paving the way for players like Muhammad Asif and Ahsan Ramzan.

Born in 1952 in Mumbai, Yousaf's early life was marked by adversity. At the age of 14, he was arrested by Indian authorities and deported to Pakistan, where he settled in Karachi. There, he found work and discovered his passion for snooker.

His career began to flourish after joining the Karachi Club, with his first major breakthrough in 1988 when he defeated India’s Geet Sethi to win the Latif Masters Snooker Championship.

Between 1987 and 1993, Yousaf claimed the national snooker championship seven times, cementing his dominance. His crowning achievement came in 1994 with the IBSF World title, followed by victories at the 1998 Asian Championship and the World Masters title in 2006.

Yousaf remains an advocate for stronger support for snooker players, urging the government to provide better facilities and backing. He believes this is essential for nurturing talent and enabling future players to achieve success on the global stage, as he once did.