Former world champion Peter Ebdon announced his retirement from professional snooker just days after fans and players alike were lauding him as one of his best shots ever went viral on social media.

The 2002 world champion revealed this week he was forced to pack up playing the game for good due to a serious neck injury.

But just a couple of days before his shock announcement, some of snookers top stars, as well as writers and fans, were left drooling over one of his best pressure shots which played a major part in him winning the World Championship 18 years ago – his finest moment of his career.

Metro journalist and snooker writer Nick Metcalfe tweeted an old video clip of Ebdon’s much pressurised pink ball pot in the semi-finals of the tournament against Matthew Stevens. The match was featured on BBC’s Crucible Classics on Monday.

With no clear safety shot and needing to get back into the frame, Ebdon is forced to to take on a very risky pot with Stevens closing in on victory with a 16-14 lead to his name.

From a mid-distance acute angle, Ebdon pots the very tough pink into the top corner pocket and lands perfectly on the yellow in the baulk area to stay in the match.

The way he played the shot meant that had he missed the pot, Stevens would have have very likely dished up to take the best-of-33 match.

That crucial pot spurred Ebdon on to pinch the frame and complete a wonderful comeback before going on to win the World Championship, in yet more thrilling fashion, with a deciding frame victory against snooker legend Stephen Hendry.

At the time BBC commentator John Virgo described the pot as the “bravest shot” he had ever seen.

Mr Metcalfe tweeted: “Why isn’t this Peter Ebdon pink not more talked about? (John) Virgo is quite right to wax lyrical here. Two down with three to play in a world semi-final. Needing every ball to pinch the frame. Yellow over the pocket. Extraordinary pot this. #snooker“

His tweet attracted many responses with most saying it was one of the best shots ever witnessed on a snooker table.

Former world champion Neil Robertson tweeted back saying: “Up there with @SHendry775 brown.”

And Kyren Wilson tweeted on his own account: “That pink from @pdebdon under those circumstances is the best pressure pot I’ve ever seen #bottle #crucibleclassics.”