A YEAR ago, Luke Littler had no way of knowing just how crazy his life was about to become.
It was accepted at the time Littler would receive a little bit of fame and recognition on his debut appearance.
After all, he had qualified for the PDC World Darts Championship, a remarkable feat for a 16-year-old, which guaranteed £7,500.
The draw had been a kind one, a winnable first-round tie against Christian Kist, a former Lakeside champ who was struggling for form.
The gamble his parents had made to pull him out of school — he played an event in Germany rather than sit his English GCSE exam — was beginning to pay off.
Yet nobody, let alone this prodigious talent from Warrington, could have appreciated how mad it was about to get last Christmas.
In the last car journey he would make before everything got turned upside down — and he became the world’s most famous teenager — Littler spoke about his expectations.
He told his family: “I’ll obviously get nervous because it’s a big occasion, it’s the biggest tournament of the year.”
Manager Martin Foulds offered some sage advice, saying: “It’s not a team game, you’re playing for No 1. You go out there to win.
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“You don’t go up there to ‘try’. You go up there to WIN. Trying is for losers.”
Innocently, Littler replied: “I’ll just go and enjoy it tonight. See what happens.”
But Foulds snapped: “Forget ‘see what’s going to happen’ — you’re going to win!”
Littler did win that evening. In fact, he won SIX times over a dizzying two-week period that transformed his life.
His average of 106.12 against Kist was the highest by a rookie and he toasted that record display with his favourite, a late-night kebab.
A boozed-up crowd, mesmerised by the teenager’s boldness and showmanship, cheekily told him (inaccurately): “You’ve got school in the morning.”
He then eliminated UK Open champion Andrew Gilding, Canada’s Matt Campbell, “idol” Raymond van Barneveld, Brendan Dolan and former world champion Rob Cross.
It was a Christmas fairytale run that captivated the sporting globe.
This bearded Boy Wonder — who could not legally bet, drink, smoke or vote — reached the final at odds of 150-1, just seven sets from becoming world champion.
Forget ‘see what’s going to happen’ — you’re going to win!
Martin Foulds
He came THREE sets from the £500,000 top prize but at 4-2 up, throwing for a 5-2 lead over Luke Humphries, he made an error in a Sliding Doors moment.
Needing to checkout on 112, he hit treble 18 and then another treble 18 by mistake — instead of single 18.
Having wanted to leave 40, which would have meant double top, he had actually scored 108 and needed double two.
Bamboozled, he paused and asked referee Russ Bray several times what was left, before wiring the double.
Living up to his Cool Hand Luke moniker, Humphries calmly took out double 14 in an important passage of play to pull it back to 4-3.
Littler said he lost all his ‘rhythm’ as Humphries claimed the next four sets to become champion and world No 1.
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A £200,000 runners-up cheque was some consolation and the kid spent a fraction of that on Fifa points for his Xbox game.
The next day, Littler was looking forward to “going home and getting back to reality” but that was never going to happen.
It had been feared, given his age and inexperience, he might suffer burnout if selected for the 17-night Premier League roadshow.
Chairman Eddie Hearn was the strongest voice in the PDC boardroom meetings, saying: “Are we mad talking about this? Of course, he’s got to go in if he’s good enough.”
Not only did The Nuke disprove any concerns, he won the competition, banking £315,000 prize money and hit a nine-darter in the O2 Arena final against Humphries.
This Luke was certainly no fluke.
In his debut year as a professional, Littler has won ten titles, risen to fourth in the rankings, thrown four perfect legs — one more before December 31 would be a record — and earned more than £1million in prize money.
Sponsors, such as Xbox and boohooMAN, have opened their chequebooks and he has thrilled fans around the planet.
His Instagram account exploded from 4,000 followers a year ago to 1.3MILLION.
Famous faces continue to ask for photos, including legendary ex-Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson, who Red Devils fan Littler met at Old Trafford in January.
When ITV decided to relaunch Bullseye for Christmas, with Freddie Flintoff as the host, Littler was the first name on their wishlist.
On Tuesday, do not be surprised if he is voted by the British public as BBC Sports Personality of the Year, even if Olympic 800 metres champ Keely Hodgkinson is the front runner.
Littler came top in Google’s most-searched athletes in the UK for 2024 — beating football superstars Lamine Yamal and Jude Bellingham as well as gymnastics’ GOAT Simone Biles and swimming sensation Adam Peaty.
He was third in searches for all people — behind the Princess of Wales and Donald Trump.
Many predict Littler will surpass Phil Taylor’s record tally of 16 world crowns — potentially before he turns 40.
On Saturday, Littler makes his first appearance of the 2024-25 tournament when he could face ‘Queen of the Palace’ Fallon Sherrock.
This time he arrives as the favourite. The conversation in the car was once about winning in the first round, now it will be title talk.
What a difference 12 months can make in the crazy world of Luke Littler.
Second round draw (seeded vs first-round winner)
