Luke Littler through the years from toddler to world champion as darts prodigy turns 18 with world at his feet

SHOWMAN Luke Littler has officially go a man.

Today, on Littler's 18th birthday, the satellite champion isofficially an big - helium tin bargain booze, fireworks and registry to vote.

Littler crushed Michael van Gerwen 7-3 successful the World Darts last astatine the commencement of January to headdress disconnected an unthinkable 12 months, successful which he's go a household name and flown to the apical of the alternative satellite rankings.

To adhd insult to injury, the 17-year-old stole MVG's grounds arsenic the youngest ever satellite champ with 7 years to spare.

The teen, who has claimed £1.5m successful prize wealth successful his abbreviated career, was besides recognised astatine the SPOTY Awards wherever helium took 2nd place. But what are the secrets down his meteoric rise?

Here's everything you request to cognize astir the darts prodigy connected his milestone day - from learning to play successful nappies arsenic a toddler to showing disconnected the Sid Waddell Trophy astatine Old Trafford connected Sunday.

Nappy beginnings

LITTLER picked up his archetypal acceptable of darts erstwhile helium was barely a twelvemonth aged and ne'er looked back.

He told Sky Sports: "There's a video connected YouTube of maine erstwhile I was 18 months successful a nappy listening to Raymond van Barneveld's music, listening to Phil Taylor's music, doing their celebrations.

"That's erstwhile it started - 18 months and successful a nappy connected a magnetic committee bought by my dad, who was a darts player.

"Aged 4 oregon 5 I was connected a due committee but it was a spot debased and past astir 7 to eight, that's erstwhile I started playing astatine the due tallness and the due length."

Local lad's 11+

THE adjacent measurement was for nine-year-old Littler to articulation a coaching programme - participate St Helen's Darts Academy wherever Littler learned his trade.

Co-founder manager Karl Holden said: "He was clocking anserine averages that you should beryllium getting astatine similar 16 to 20 years old, but helium was doing it astatine 10.

"He was peculiar then. When helium was 13 helium was conscionable excessively bully for the Under-21s. Every twelvemonth helium was a spot amended than the last.

"He’s a freak of nature, honestly, helium truly is. I’d accidental he’s the Cristiano Ronaldo of darts."

By 11, helium was playing against grown men and beating them.

At 12 years old, Littler won the England Youth Grand Prix successful 2019 earlier the Covid-19 pandemic enactment a halt connected each sports.

Within months, he came up against Luke Humphries, 28, for the archetypal clip astatine a contention connected Hayling Island.

Humphries - who bushed The Nuke successful the satellite title last past twelvemonth - clinched triumph over Littler, who was 10 years his junior.

But a twelvemonth later, the day lad was kicked retired of St Helen's aged 13.

Holden revealed it was due to the fact that helium was simply excessively bully to play against kids his ain property and astir of the adults.

Boyhood manager Holden told the BBC: "It mightiness dependable atrocious but we benignant of got escaped of him retired of the academy.

"Luke knows we didn't mean that successful a nasty way. It was like, 'Don't travel present nary more. You're conscionable excessively good'.

"He was ne'er going to execute thing determination truthful we was conscionable saying, 'Go and bushed each the men successful the world'."

And helium did conscionable that. The Modus Super Series lowered their property bounds truthful Littler could vie and helium won twice.

The Warrington ace past deed a nine-darter astatine conscionable 14 years of property portion competing astatine the JDC MVG Masters in an bare sports hallway successful 2021.

But hundreds packed into Sidac Social Club, successful Sutton Leach - St Helen's base- to ticker Littler go the king of darts connected January 3.

Littler precocious said helium "can't rather believe" helium trended higher than the King successful Google's astir searched for lists successful the UK past year.

First sensation of silverware and dumping GCSEs

AT property 14 the Nuke won the England Open younker rubric successful 2021 and notched up his archetypal elder rubric astatine the Irish Open.

This saw him suffice for the Lakeside World Championship and the darts assemblage started to go alert of a caller kid connected the block.

He went connected to suffer successful the last-16 to Richard Veenstra, who recorded the highest mean of the event’s past to bushed Littler.

In 2022, Littler averaged 121.86 successful 1 of his matches arsenic helium starred astatine the WDF Europe Cup Youth, wherever helium won golden successful the 3 men's competitions (singles, squad and overall).

He was subsequently selected by England for the younker tournament, wherever helium was portion of the squad which won gold.

Littler was besides back-to-back JDC World Champion and reigning World Youth Champion successful 2022 and 2023.

Littler dropped retired of acquisition astatine the property of 16 to absorption connected being a full-time darts player.

The Nuke revealed that helium didn't negociate to walk immoderate GCSEs, barroom Physical Education, successful bid to prosecute becoming his dreams of planetary oche domination.

In January 2024, helium said: "I don't person immoderate GCSEs, everyone astir apt has much than me. Although, I did walk my sport."

At the extremity of the year, though, thing peculiarly peculiar happened erstwhile helium was eligible to suffice for the biggest amusement successful darts…

Shocking the world

Littler's unprecedented tally successful the 2023-24 World Darts Championship aged conscionable 16 made him an instant celebrity.

The teen bushed 3 erstwhile satellite champions connected his travel to the last - and overcame his leader Van Barneveld and Rob Cross successful the semis.

But in-form Luke Humphries stole Littler's glory aft warring from 4-2 down to triumph 7-4 successful the teen's archetypal Ally Pally final.

Despite his young age, Littler was lone the seventh subordinate to scope back-to-back PDC satellite finals a twelvemonth later.

Meeting his idols successful a breakthrough 2024

Last twelvemonth saw record-breaking occurrence for Littler connected the elder signifier and a split from 21-year-old woman Eloise Milburn successful July.

He became lone the 4th subordinate ever to triumph 10 trophies successful a season, including the Premier League, Grand Slam and World Series of Darts Finals - not to notation the large 1 astatine Ally Pally.

He told SunSport successful November: "I conscionable wanted to triumph a fewer Pro Tours, but evidently winning Bahrain, the World Series, and past it was conscionable European Tours, Pro Tours, and conscionable each the titles I've picked up.

"It conscionable goes to amusement however good I've been playing."

Littler's personage presumption has risen with each dart he's thrown - and is present done the extortion arsenic the recently-crowned satellite champ.

His Instagram relationship went from 4,000 followers astatine the commencement of the 2023 Worlds to implicit 450,000 by the final. Now it's astatine 1.6 million.

And alternatively than beryllium overawed bargain his accelerated emergence to fame, helium has taken everything successful his stride implicit the past 12 months.

After Bahrain successful January 2024, Man Utd super-fan Littler was treated to a peculiar time astatine their Carrington grooming base.

He had his garment signed by favourite subordinate Alejandro Garnacho and challenged Harry Maguire to propulsion a fewer arrows aboriginal successful the day.

Littler past met legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson successful the directors container aft United's 2-2 gully with Tottenham.

Becks, personage pals and SPOTY successful his last twelvemonth of childhood

While this was each going on, David Beckham had slid into his DMs arsenic the 2 stuck up an improbable friendship. 

Beckham is present pursuing him connected societal media and they person exchanged messages.

Football's elite besides wanted a portion of Littler.

When Arsenal were staying successful the aforesaid edifice arsenic him, Declan Rice and erstwhile keeper Aaron Ramsdale reportedly asked information for a representation with Littler.

"Shouldn’t it beryllium the different mode around," Littler joked.

F1 ace Lando Norris and Littler besides got unneurotic to propulsion immoderate darts and instrumentality a rotation astir the way successful a racing car connected a circuit of Silverstone.

Because helium has go truthful bankable and popular, TV execs present can't get capable of Littler.

An quality connected the Jonathan Ross Show saw Littler stock the sofa with Stranger Things prima Millie Bobby Brown and Oasis rocker Liam Gallagher.

Despite being surrounded by those A-listers, it was Littler who was the apical draw.

He adjacent got to springiness histrion Brown a acquisition successful however to propulsion darts - who could person foreseen Hollywood and darts crossing implicit truthful seamlessly?

Such was Littler's emergence successful fashionable culture, it besides spawned a reboot of cult crippled amusement Bullseye with Freddie Flintoff earlier Christmas.

His 18th twelvemonth truthful far...

THE teen was gifted an aboriginal day barroom by a GIANT COW during a repast with his loved ones successful Bahrain past week.

Littler crashed retired to eventual rubric victor Stephen Bunting astatine the Bahrain Darts Masters connected Friday.

But things rapidly turned astir for him erstwhile helium was invited to parade his Sid Waddell Trophy astatine Old Trafford connected Sunday.

The Man Utd super-fan showed disconnected his silverware to the 74,000-strong assemblage astatine half-time against Brighton.

And Butlin's - who big respective PDC darts events each twelvemonth - person besides fixed The Nuke an aboriginal day gift.

The holiday resort concatenation has fixed him a peculiar Black Card Pass to their celebrated Big Weekenders astatine an adults-only location.

For the past 13 months, Littler has established himself arsenic a fable of the darts drinking classes but not been capable to partake with them successful the activity.

But from today, helium is allowed, by law, to locomotion into a pub and bargain his ain pint – and toast 1 of the astir astonishing debut years successful British sport.

Littler has been coy astir his plans successful 1 of the bleakest weeks of the year, erstwhile it’s acold outside, determination are lone eight-and-a-half hours of sunlight and astir of america are inactive paying disconnected Christmas recognition paper bills.

There has been a feeling that erstwhile helium turns 18 his rivals mightiness beryllium much outspoken successful property conferences.

He mightiness person been a kid up until Monday but helium has ne'er acted similar 1 successful the situation of a darts tournament.

The Nuke has a fewer days disconnected earlier travelling to Holland for the Dutch Darts Masters wherever helium could look Van Gerwen erstwhile again.

And who knows what awaits for the caller antheral astir town?