LUKE AND LEARN
Luke Littler, 17, could have 35 YEARS at the top and surpass Phil Taylor – the only thing that can stop him is himself
A good omen could set Littler up for World Championship success this Christmas too
NOT MANY lager-swilling, kebab-eating, costume-wearing darts fans would have known who Luke Littler was a year ago.
Only those who had been paying close attention to the fortunes of youth darts or perhaps chanced upon a behind-closed-doors streaming event would have had him on their radar.
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Occasionally, a glimpse of his genius or showboating might have popped up on a social media feed but generally, he could have easily walked down the street without hassle.
Fast forward 12 months and all that has changed – what an incredible, unprecedented and thrilling transformative ride it has been for Littler.
Two months before he turns 18 – when he will be legally able to bet, drink and vote – and there are few places in the world that have not seen Littler in action.
As legendary referee Russ Bray noted, there are “people in remote Guatemalan villages who have heard of the teen sensation".
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Winning the Grand Slam of Darts on Sunday night was an extraordinary achievement and only strengthened his growing legend and status on the oche.
Arguably he is the most exciting teenager in world sport, having banked more than £1million in prize money across 11 months.
Since mid-January, he has won TEN titles, become Premier League champion, broke numerous age-records and celebrated a joint-record FOUR nine-dart finishes.
What he did at Ally Pally last Christmas was exceptional and ground-breaking – he raced into the world final on his debut and was THREE sets away from surprising champion and world No.1 Luke Humphries.
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Inside Littler's massive rise
LUKE LITTLER has taken the darts world by storm since exploding onto the scene at the PDC World Championship at the beginning of the year.
The Nuke reached the final on his Ally Pally debut at just 16 years of age - smashing records along the way.
He has then gone on to win a host of PDC events and the Premier League title - which he claimed at the O2 Arena by beating world champion Luke Humphries in May.
He also finished his first season in the World Series as the No1 ranked player.
He has joined Jude Bellingham on the Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe list.
And the teenage titan even had to snub an invite from the WWE.
The Sun exclusively revealed that Littler is plotting to create a fitness empire.
He is also cashing in away from the Oche thanks to an Instagram side hustle.
And he's even the face of a brand new cereal.
But he is newly single after splitting from girlfriend Eloise Milburn following a 10-month relationship.
Check out all of our latest Luke Littler stories.
But what has been equally impressive is how he has backed it all up – that run was no fluke.
And as the countdown to the Paddy Power World Darts Championship hots up – it starts in 27 days – Littler is the tournament favourite at 2/1 to lift the Sid Waddell Trophy.
Luke Littler branded 'a joke' as beaten opponent reveals he scoffed down curry, a Boost and Squashies before title win
Gary Anderson, who Littler beat in a last-leg decider in the Grand Slam of Darts semi-finals, is 36 years older at the age of 53.
Phil Taylor, who is now retired, won his 16th world crown aged 52.
That means Littler could carry on for more than three decades and wrack up enough titles – and more bling than Bobby George – to fill the new family mansion.
The only thing perhaps stopping him is his own motivation and desire, and whether he wants to continue the hard slog for 10, 20 or 30 years, especially when there are many pitfalls to being a celebrity.
Yet the magnanimous Martin Lukeman – who was thrashed 16-3 in the Wolverhampton final – was surprised by how his young rival prepared for this showdown.
Former builder Lukeman, 39, said: “The boy is just next level, man. He’s doing the business. He’s looking after his family – they’ll have a very good life.
“He has a Boost, a Meal Deal and a Curry, walks up there and just smashes me like that.
“Ninety-eight per cent of the players down there are doing what they do. He’s eating Squashies (sweets) for his half-time. I’m having a fag and a water. It’s a joke.
“If he gets his head on, forget about Michael van Gerwen’s records, he is going to beat Phil Taylor’s records.
“If he stays away from drink and girls, whatever, that boy will go very, very far and he’ll break them ridiculously.”
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This was supposed to have been a year of learning, a chance to develop and slowly rise up the rankings.
Many were worried about burnout, especially as he approached the 17-week Premier League.
We really should have known better than to doubt him because every challenge Littler has encountered in 2024, he has dealt with them with absolute maturity and composure.
This year he has gone from 164 in the world to a high of fifth – the swiftest ranking rise by any player in history.
Many would say he IS the best player in the world but the PDC Order of Merit is done on a two-year money list – Humphries, Van Gerwen, Smith and Rob Cross have earned more – and he only turned professional in January.
The scary thing is that he will only get BETTER and maybe one day punters will get bored, like they did in Taylor’s pomp, with him winning everything.
Littler – who did his GCSEs last year – returned home late after the stunning Grand Slam victory and in true teenager style, spent some of his relaxation time on his Xbox.
This Thursday, he travels to Butlin’s Minehead for the Players Championship Finals – first up is a battle with Cross in round one.
In November 2023, he was preparing for the final of the World Youth Championship, which he claimed by beating Gian van Veen 6-4 to pocket a £10,000 cheque.
If all goes well over the next few weeks, if he has another successful adventure at the Worlds, he will be world No.2 come January 2, 2025.
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The last two winners of the Grand Slam – Michael Smith in 2022 and Humphries in 2023 – both went on to become world champions several weeks later.
Who would bet against Littler making it a hat-trick this Christmas?
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