Darts sensation Luke Littler: ‘All I want is a new coat and some Fifa points’

If you thought 18 months was young for Luke Littler to be given his first dartboard, guess what the teenage prodigy bought his baby nephew before the infant was even born?

You can hardly blame the 16-year-old sensation for taking to its logical conclusion the idea an early start is crucial to success in sport.

After all, no-one currently embodies that better than Littler, who has taken the World Darts Championships by storm having begun hitting bullseyes while still in nappies.

Becoming an uncle at 16 to his 19-year-old brother’s son, George, is merely another example of Littler living life in fast-forward.

“Before he was born, I already bought him a magnetic dartboard,” Littler says. “Try and get him on the board with me and my brother.”

Even if his own darts-mad father had presented him with a board at birth, it is hard to imagine what more Littler could have achieved in the sport to date.

The current World Youth Champion, he became the youngest player to win at the World Championships and followed that up with two more stunning performances to reach the last 16, where he takes on Raymond van Barneveld on Saturday.

Such has been his impact, comparisons have inevitably been drawn with teen prodigies in other sports, including with the likes of Pele and Wayne Rooney.

“It’s just mad people comparing me to these footballers who’ve scored over 300 goals,” Littler says. “It’s crazy. While I’m just throwing darts.”

Watching ‘Luke The Nuke’ on the oche, there is something of the 16-year-old Rooney about him. With his rugged appearance and stereotypical darts-player physique, he looks like someone double his age.

But speaking to him ahead of his next match on Saturday dispels any doubts about his date of birth. Answers to questions are exactly as expected from a teenager - never mind one catapulted from relative obscurity to national fame in a matter of days.

Littler says he is taking it all in his stride after being advised to do just that by his darts idols like Phil Taylor and fellow prodigy Michael van Gerwen.

But the Warrington teen and graduate of St Helens Darts Academy has still been wowed by the reaction to his feats at Alexandra Palace.

“On social media, my followers are going up,” he says. “Getting followed by people who I’ve looked up to. Like footballers. It’s just crazy the past week or two since I’ve been down here.”

They want a picture with me?

Among the Manchester United supporter’s newfound admirers have been Rio Ferdinand, as well as Donny van de Beek, who posed for a picture with the teenager after attending the World Championships.

But the real pinch-me moment came on Wednesday when England pair Declan Rice and Aaron Ramsdale asked to have their photos taken with Littler, who has been staying at the same London hotel Arsenal use for their home matches.

“I said, ‘They want a picture with me?’” Littler says. “They came out and they were like, ‘You’re smashing it. Can’t believe you’re only 16. Just keep it up’.”

A trip to Arsenal’s Premier League defeat to West Ham United followed for football-mad Littler, whose Christmas presents included tickets for a tour of Old Trafford after the World Championship finishes.

If any other teenager had banked themselves a guaranteed £35,000 – and with a £500,000 prize still on offer – they might be expected to embark on a shopping spree. But not Littler.

“I always treat myself to some Under Armour tracksuits,” he says when asked if he had any gifts in mind. “And just get myself a new coat and get myself some Fifa points for my Xbox. That’s pretty much it.”

He admits he would “love to start driving” – he turns 17 on January 21 – if only so his dad no longer needs to ferry him around for tournaments.

But despite being sponsored by his local Skoda dealership, he says he has given no thought to what car he might buy.

Indeed, when it comes to Littler’s interests outside darts, playing Fifa – now called EA Sports FC – “chilling” and “seeing my mates every now and again” represent the sum total.

‘Darts is my life’

Despite being serenaded with each victory at Alexandra Palace with chants of, “He’s got school in the morning”, he has no plans to continue his academic education having left Padgate Academy in the summer after finishing his GCSEs.

“Darts is my life,” he says, admitting he has not even contemplated what to do if the worst were to happen. “If it does go wrong then I’ll have to find something else.”

A far more realistic challenge for Littler, judging by the past fortnight, will be getting to the very top of the sport and staying there.

And, in 16-time world champion Taylor, he has the perfect role model.

“What Phil did was unbelievable,” Littler says of a player who dominated darts for more than two decades. “The amount of world titles he’s won. But I’m only 16. I can only win what’s in front of me.”

That will require maintaining a dedication to his craft that, along with starting early, is the other secret to Littler’s success.

In a parallel universe, it could be his older brother, Lucas, standing on the oche on Saturday. The pair would play each other every day as youngsters until the first coronavirus lockdown almost four years ago.

“When lockdown hit for the first time, he just stopped,” Littler says. “While my mum and dad were pushing me on the board, hours and hours a day.”

With people forced by law to stay at home, that involved playing opponents on separate dartboards, something Littler’s brother did not take to.

“He was beating me almost every day and I was getting frustrated,” Littler recalls. “But then I started beating him.

“It’s a shame that he stopped. He just lost the interest because he didn’t want to play online with a camera and a scorer. But I wasn’t bothered.”

Indeed, Littler credits the hours he spent playing at home during lockdown for his meteoric rise since, and he continues to use the Scolia darts system, which automatically calculates each player’s score. That means anyone in the world with the same system could challenge Littler to a game.

If the teenager gets his way, they could soon include his own nephew.