He was a child prodigy who has gone on to become one of the most popular world champions the game has produced.

So how did Ronnie reach the pinnacle of his sport?

The Academy had a look at the early years of the Dagenham-born genius.

And found that "Rocket" Ronnie really did shoot to superstardom.

Ronnie started playing snooker when he was just seven years old.

His enthusiasm was obvious from the start and his Dad bought him a table as a Christmas present after seeing how keen he was.

The game quickly became the love of Ronnie's life and he would spend every moment he could cueing away on the green baize.

He used to beg his neighbour, who was four years older than him, to come and play with him.

Those sessions would last for around four hours, or when Ronnie's Dad said it was time for his son to go to bed!

By then, Ronnie was playing snooker non-stop and his Dad started taking him to the Ambassador's Club in London's Dean St.

The first tournament success was achieved when Ronnie was nine.

He won a competition between six players in a local club - eventually getting his hands on his first trophy and a voucher for six hours free table time.

Incredibly, Ronnie had barely entered his second decade of life when he made his first century break.

At the ripe old age of 10, he completed a 117 clearance - despite being so nervous he was petrified of missing his pots once he had reached triple figures.

It was a sign of things to come.

The records continued to fall, and would do throughout Ronnie's career.

Aged 11, he won a tournament and his first big prize money.

Ronnie collected a £450 cheque for his victory and proudly took it to school to show his fellow pupils and teachers.

His headmaster rewarded him with the afternoon off lessons and a cup of tea!

Ronnie's big breakthrough came in a professional-amateur tournament in Stevenage when he was 14.

He reached the quarter-final of the tournament where he faced Marcel Gavreau, who was ranked 34th in the world at that time.

The match was played over five frames, and in the deciding frame, Ronnie produced a 120 break to clinch victory.

Later, Gavreau said: "That kid is unbelievable. Where's he come from? No-one's ever played that well against me."

Ronnie made it to the final of the competition, where he faced Anthony Hamilton.

Finding himself down at 2-1, Ronnie dug deep and won a tense fourth frame on a re-spotted black.

He went on to win the match and pocket prize money of £1000 - not bad for a 14-year-old.

It was reward for the practice Ronnie was putting in - six or seven hours a day when he was not at school, and maybe three or four hours if he was.

Ronnie's name was becoming familiar on the club circuit now and it wouldn't be long before a wider audience would know his face too.

In an event called the Cockney Classic, Ronnie made his first television appearance, whilst still aged 14.

To qualify for the tournament, players had to win a competition in their local club - then they played a single frame against six opponents.

Ronnie was eventually beaten in the semi-finals, but one of the highlights of his experience was making a 75 break on camera.

Back at school, the video of his break was shown by his teacher who abandoned the cookery lesson the class was due to be given.

Impressive as Ronnie's performances had been early on, they were a mere appetiser for what was to come when he hit the ripe old age of 15.

Ronnie lost in the final of the UK Amateur championship, but along the way achieved a remarkable feat.

He made a maximum 147 break - becoming the youngest player ever to do so in a recognised environment.

Ronnie left school mid-way through his final year and shortly after became a professional snooker player.

His entry into the sport was nothing short of sensational.

Between 1992-1993, in his first year in the circuit, Ronnie sent records tumbling.

He won 47 out of 76 matches, which included a winning streak of 38 successive victories, overhauling the previous best held by Stephen Hendry.

Hendry was also on the receiving end as Ronnie beat the Scot to become the youngest winner of a world ranking event.

Aged 17 years and 11 months, Ronnie was crowned UK champion.

During this time, Ronnie recorded 5-0 victories over his opponents 22 times - one of the whitewashes came in Blackpool in a time of 43 minutes.

That beat Tony Drago's record for the quickest win.

It was soon afterwards that MC Alan Hughes gave Ronnie the nickname of "The Rocket".

In 1993, Ronnie was named WBSA Young Player of the Year and Player of the Year a 12 months later.

In April of 1994, he beat James Wattana to claim his second major title - the British Open.

Two more UK Championships followed in 1997 and 2001 - the latter proved to be the defining year for Ronnie.

It was then that Ronnie captured the World Championship - a title which has even eluded his hero, another supremely naturally gifted player, Jimmy White.

Information from the BBC