In one of the best world finals in recent memory and certainly the best since Shaun Murphy beat Matthew Stevens in 2005, Higgins became the only player other than Stephen Hendry (seven) and Steve Davis (six) to lift the famous trophy more than three times at the Crucible.
Higgins trailed 10-7 overnight but used all of his experience and matchplay class to win 11 of the 16 frames today. Trump had chances in most of the frames but missed key balls at vital moments as his hopes of becoming the second youngest champion - after Hendry in 1990 - faded away in the closing stages.
Wishaw's 35-year-old Higgins collected a cheque for £250,000 in winning his third world title in the past five attempts. It's hard to believe that in 2007 he questioned whether he would go down as one of snooker's all-time greats, as he had just one Crucible crown to his name. Now, with his name engraved four times on the trophy, he is an undisputed legend of the sport.
The past 12 months have been the most turbulent time of the Scot's life, with the six month ban for breaching betting regulations followed by the illness and death of his father John Snr. His remarkable capacity to clear his mind on the table and focus on the match at hand was once again evident tonight; only in the post-match interviews did he break down in tears.
Having played the best snooker of his life on a consistent basis over the past four years, and with plenty of time at the top ahead of him, he feels he can challenge the record of seven world titles set by fellow-Scot Hendry.
This is Higgins' 24th ranking title in all, leaving him just four behind Davis (28) though still a long way short of Hendry (36). Despite missing the first five months of the campaign, he has won three ranking events this season plus an EPTC tournament, and has now won 18 of his last 19 matches on the pro tour.
Snooker's equivalent of the Terminator, he's the player who just can't be killed off. Ronnie O'Sullivan, Mark Williams and Trump all had him on the ropes at certain points, but he just refuses to crumble. No other player in history has been as good at winning frames from at least 50 points behind.
Despite Higgins' triumph, this classic tournament will be best remembered for the electric performances of Trump. The 21-year-old left-hander from Bristol with bundles of cue power lit up the event with his sensational and stylish attacking play, delighting fans with a multitude of full-blooded long pots and deep screw shots.
The atmosphere at the start of the evening session was generally agreed to be the best ever witnessed at a snooker match - a clear sign that Trump has captured the imagination of the snooker public. Young, photogenic, fashionable, laid-back and straight-talking, he's a hero for the Twitter generation.
Trump, whose style of play has attracted comparisons to a young Jimmy White and the Shaun Murphy of 2005, will be desperately disappointed not to finish tonight with the fairytale ending. But surely he will be back on the biggest stage competing for the crown and thriving in his new role as the sport's boy wonder.
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