Former world snooker champion looks unrecognisable in throwback pic as 14-year-old prodigy tries to take his record

LUCA BRECEL looked unrecognisable when he became the World Championship's youngest player back in 2012 – now teenage prodigy Michal Szubarczyk is hoping to snatch away his Crucible record.

Szubarczyk, 14, is set to become the youngest person ever involved in the World Snooker Championship when he takes to qualifying atthe English Institute of Sport inSheffield on April 8.

And the young Polish potter could break Brecel's record of being the youngest player to ever play in the tournament proper at the Crucible should he navigate his way through qualifying.

Brecel, now 30, was just 17 years and 45 days old when made his Crucible debut in 2012, breaking Stephen Hendry‘s previous record by a matter of weeks at the time.

A throwback picture of a fresh-faced Brecel would have any snooker fan second guessing who they were looking at, especially given his distinctive look these days.

Snooker's Belgian bad boy has since won four ranking tournaments and was crowned World Champion in 2023.

Szubarczyk – who was born the year prior to Brecel's Crucible debut – has to opportunity to obliterate his record at just 14 years, two months and 19 days old today.

Brecel and Hendry are joined by Ronnie O'Sullivan, Judd Trump and Liu Chuang on the list of players to make their debuts at 17 – all five losing their opening match.

For young Szubarczyk the thought of even stepping out at the Crucible is still some way out of his reach, with four consecutive wins in qualifying still standing in his way.

The Eastern European teenager has zero experience in the professional ranks and would have to pull off something truly sensational to earn one of the 16 coveted places at the marquee tournament.

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That experience is soon going to change though as Szubarczyk is set to become the youngest-ever player on theWorld Snooker Tour.

That's thanks to his sensational performance at the European Championships in Turkey, winning the under-16s and under-18s events before reaching the final of the open-age event.

As a result, he has been nominated for a two-year WST Tour Card, which will start fromnextseason should he choose to accept a place.

If he does accept, then the rising star will instantly make history as the youngest WST pro in history.

Not only would he be able to swap his homework for the practice tables, but he would also come up against some of snooker's biggest stars on tour.

Players such as Ronnie O'Sullivan, Judd Trump and Kyren Wilson would all become potential opponents for the Polish prodigy.