Luke Littler could bag career £100MILLION with meteoric rise eclipsing Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Beckham
LUKE LITTLER could bag £100MILLION and eclipse the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi with his meteoric rise.
The darts sensation has enjoyed a stunning year since his breakthrough in the sport.
Littler, 17, reached the summit on Friday evening as he won the PDC World Darts Championship.
He beat Michael van Gerwen 7-3 at Ally Pally to get his hands on the Sid Waddell Trophy that evaded him 12 months ago.
The victory landed Littler a cool £500,000 in prize money to add to his winnings from throughout 2024.
Sports finance expert Dr Rob Wilson believes that Littler has the potential to earn over £100m in his career.
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Speaking to , he said: "Littler should comfortably earn £20m in prize money over the next 10 years.
"Littler’s meteoric rise eclipses that of Ronaldo, Messi and Beckham.
"Littler’s career trajectory as teen sensation compares to Justin Bieber more than anyone else in sport.
"Littler is already one of the most recognisable new faces in British sport, on a par with Jude Bellingham."
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It has also been suggested that Littler could star in a reality documentary.
He could also become the first darts player to have a major sportswear brand deal, which would emulate golfer Tiger Woods at Nike.
Wilson added: "He is already emerging as one of the most recognisable British sportspeople after his efforts as runner-up at the 2024 event.
"He continued to deliver a masterclass of darts throughout 2024, winning multiple titles as he travelled the world.
"The 17-year-old sensation backed up his 2024 World Darts second place by going on to win ten senior PDC titles.
"With prize money and sponsorship he’ll have amassed around £1m in the calendar year.
"Littler's earnings should be extrapolated like compound interest. As each year passes his prize money will increase year on year, as will his endorsement activity as his profile grows.
"He should comfortably earn £20m in prize money over the next 10 years.
"Add to that sponsorship, the inevitable ‘at home with the Littlers’ documentary that will follow and other revenue streams and his career earnings could easily hit £100m.
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"In sport no one has seen this sort of meteoric profile and earnings explosion.
"The likes of Ronaldo, Messi and Beckham have all exceeded these numbers, but that came later in their careers. Littler is unique."
Luke Littler prize money breakdown
Here is all the prize money Luke Littler has won so far after being crowned 2025 PDC World Darts Championship winner:
World Championship 2025 - £500,000
World Championship 2024 - £200,000
Grand Slam of Darts 2024 - £150,000
European Tour - £91,000
Player Championships events - £71,500
Players Championship final runner-up - £60,000
UK Open 2023 + 2024 - £17,500
World Matchplay - £10,000
World Grand Prix - £7,500
European Championship - £7,500
(Unranked) Premier League Darts - £315,000
TOTAL: £1.43 million