Yes, he’s done it: the still-teenaged Luke Littler is officially a World Darts Champion and although we all saw it coming, the stats behind his meteoric rise are, frankly, ridiculous.
As if becoming the youngest-ever player to ever win the 2025 PDC World Darts Championships at just 17 wasn’t impressive enough, his pathway, previous victories and numerous accolades leading up to this point really put things into perspective.
Oddly enough, he almost seemed destined to get his hands on the trophy the moment he fell just short in last year’s final against current world number one Luke Humphries.
Here are the numbers to prove it:
Luke Littler's ridiculous last 13 months completes one of the most insane sporting stories ever, let alone in darts.
🏆 Youngest world champion (by 7 years!) 🏆 Premier League & Grand Slam 🏆 11 total titles 📈 World no 2 (from 164) 🤑 £1.5m total prize money
As put together by Sporting Life journalist Chris Hammer, when the already long list of achievements in just his first year and a bit as a professional on the senior circuit is laid out in front of you like that, it really does feel like it was always going to happen, doesn’t it?
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But this doesn’t even quite tell the full story.
Even before he won his first PDC title on the pro tour at the Bahrain Masters back in January, the Warrington-born teen had already won the senior Irish Open back in 2021 when he was just 14. Let us repeat that: 14 years old.
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Going back even further, he’s been dominating the youth circuit for some time too – most notably becoming the first player in JDC (Junior Darts Corporation) history to win back-to-back World Championship titles in 2022 and ’23.
The trend of consecutive successes has only increased as time has gone on and now the youngster has won a trio of darts majors with a Grand Slam, World Series and Premier League title, not to mention two Masters tournaments and a pair of PDC Opens, winning the rest feels like a mere certainty.
The consistency behind his stats and level of averages alone are rather frightening and as the cherry on top of the Sid Waddell Trophy, Luke Littler also won the win the Ballon D’Art trophy after hitting 79 maximums – though Michael Smith does still hold the record for most 180s in a tournament (83).
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LITTLER IS THE WORLD CHAMPION! 🏆
LUKE LITTLER ACHIEVES HIS DARTING DESTINY!
The 17-year-old sensation produces a spectacular display to defeat Michael van Gerwen 7-3 and create more history at Alexandra Palace!
Not to play on anyone’s inferiority complex here or force them to look back at what they were up to at his age either but, as detailed above, Littler‘s first-place prize of £500,000 has just seen him rack up more than £1.5 million in total earnings over the past 13 months since his pro debut.
But it doesn’t stop there…
As per The Telegraph, top players in the sport typically earn around £350,000 a year in shirt sales and other merchandising opportunities; he also stands to earn even more away from the board than he already does from personal dart sets once he turns 18 and betting sponsors inevitably come knocking.
Featured Images — Sky Sports (screenshot via YouTube)
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Bayern Munich reportedly set to target Phil Foden in the summer transfer window
Danny Jones
European giants Bayern Munich are said to be interested in homegrown Manchester City star, and are interested in signing him this coming transfer window.
And if you believe some of the reports circulating around the Stockport-born footballer, he could very well be looking to leave the Etihad in the summer.
Foden seems to have somewhat fallen out of favour at Man City of late, having been benched in four of the last five games, with his overall minutes having been on a gradual slump over recent months; as a result, some sources are suggesting it’s prompted a potential move away.
As per TEAMtalk, the Bundesliga side is hoping to target the City youth product and England international ahead of next season, with former teammate turned Bayern head coach Vincent Kompany very keen on acquiring his services.
Man City have stepped up efforts to secure Phil Foden's future with talks held during the international break and confidence is now growing that a new deal will be finalised before the end of the season, amid Bayern Munich interest, @TEAMtalk can reveal.https://t.co/ScBP5a3a08
Whether or not having a club and Premier League legend in charge would serve as a sweetener for the attacking midfielder or not, who knows?
According to journalist Graeme Bailey, while the gifted playmaker is said to be “frustrated” with the current situation at Man City, the club are believed to have “stepped up efforts to secure the long-term future of Phil Foden, with fresh talks held during the international break”
Having still managed to chip in with 15 goal contributions so far this campaign – two-thirds of those involvements being goals – the hope is that they can tie him down to a new deal long before the end of the season.
There’s no question about his natural talent and versatility across the forward line; it’s just whether or not he’s happy with his game time under Pep Guardiola, which admittedly has often fluctuated ever since he broke into the first team.
Pep has never made a secret of his love for Phil, either; he’s just not afraid to mix things up and try different things given the squad depth at his disposal and other teams in the division becoming increasingly competitive.
It’s also worth noting that many expect him to be in Thomas Tuchel’s starting lineups for the Three Lions at this year’s World Cup.
At present, Foden’s contract is set to expire at the end of the next term (2026/27), but it’s rumoured that he could soon commit to staying until 2030 on paper.
Now 25, the once up-and-coming youngster/’rising star’ is now a fully-fledged senior professional and serial winner.
With many years still ahead of him, you could argue that this is the perfect time to take on a new challenge, or equally, stay with his beloved Blues and extend their modern dynasty as one of the more experienced and decorated members of the dressing room.
As for whether Kompany can convince him to swap his familiar surroundings for a fresh chapter in Germany, or whether or not another big Champions League-level outfit monitoring the situation could come sniffing, only time will tell.
For now, let’s just hope he has an incredible few weeks over in North America this June and July.
A free snooker fan zone has popped up in Manchester for the 2026 Tour Championship
Danny Jones
We’re sure plenty of you are well aware that this year’s WST Sportsbet.io Tour Championship is happening in Manchester right now, but what many of you may not know is that a completely free snooker fan zone has opened up as part of it.
You don’t need a ticket for any of the actual matches to watch them on the big screen or even play one of your own.
However, it isn’t just the buzz inside the match room itself that the World Snooker Tour has brought on its return to the city centre – even the supporter hub outside is well worth a visit.
Based over at Manchester Central on the Exchange side of the building, while the games themselves are taking place in the main rooms, the foyer and surrounding areas have been turned into a fan park.
Perfect for anyone looking for a fun way to spend an afternoon or, indeed, a full day this week – not to mention an ideal activity for kids this coming Easter bank holiday weekend – if you’re a fan of the sport, you’d be a fool not to at least pop your head in.
Running until this Sunday, 5 April, when the tournament itself finishes, snooker lovers have access not only to a bar area with multiple big screens and food and drink, but also numerous free tables for them to play on.
In fact, you quickly turn a few frames into some proper practice if you’re so inclined, as there’s even on-site coaching to be made the most of.
As you can see, people of all ages have already turned up in their droves to soak up the atmosphere.
Once again, the competition is being broadcast live and free-to-air on Channel 5 if you’re happy to watch the games at home, but we don’t need to tell you what makes sitting in a room with a bunch of fellow fans and getting excited together so enjoyable.
If you visit the Manchester Central convention centre before the end of the week, you can even have a go at playing on a proper king-sized snooker table for the full pro-feel experience.
For anyone who wants to grab actual tickets for the matches as well, you can find them HERE.
Danny Jones -
4th January 2025 
