da fezbet： Luke Littler has taken the darts world by storm but he is also a keen football fan – GOAL takes a look at who he supports and his favourite players.
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The sporting story of the year could be written just a few days into 2024 if 16-year-old Luke Littler does the unthinkable and wins the PDC World Championship.
The teenage darts star has pulled off a stunning march to the final, beating established pros including Raymond van Barneveld, Brendan Dolan and Rob Cross to set up a final showdown with Luke Humphries at Alexandra Palace on Wednesday night.
It's no secret that Littler is a keen football fan – so who does he support, and who is his favourite player?
Getty ImagesWHO IS LUKE LITTLER?
Luke Littler is a 16-year-old darts player who – despite only making his senior tournament debut in 2023-24 – has reached the final of the PDC World Championship. He has produced some of the best performances ever seen in the competition, including the phenomenal 6-2 win over Cross in the semis that saw him achieve 16 180s, averaging a score of 106.05. Indeed, if Littler completes the job and wins the final against Luke Humphries on Wednesday night, he will take home the prize money pay-out of £500,000 ($630,000).
AdvertisementWHICH FOOTBALL TEAM DOES LUKE LITTLER SUPPORT?
Littler may have been born in Runcorn, but the teenager is a huge Manchester United fan. In a recent interview, the darts star said he will take a tour of Old Trafford after the PDC World Championship is over. Ahead of the final at Alexandra Palace, United players past and present including Gary Neville, Rio Ferdinand and Luke Shaw sent the youngster their good-luck wishes, while the official Manchester United Instagram account wrote that they're "right behind" him in his quest for glory.
WHO IS LUKE LITTLER'S FAVOURITE FOOTBALL PLAYER?
Littler's favourite player is likely to be a United star, and it could well be Marcus Rashford. After his third round victory last week, the Reds fan copied the striker's trademark celebration, and posted a side-by-side photo on Instagram.
He is clearly a massive football fan in general, though, and recently posed for photos with Declan Rice and Aaron Ramsdale after watching Arsenal lose 2-0 to West Ham. He then attended Tottenham's 3-1 win against Bournemouth with injured Spurs midfielder James Maddison, who has helped put darts on the map with his infamous celebration. Littler has also been spotted sharing a selfie with United midfielder Donny van de Beek, using the caption 'legend'. The Dutchman has since left Old Trafford, however, after completing a loan move to Frankfurt.
Getty/GOAL/IG:@lukethenukelittlerDOES LUKE LITTLER PLAY FOOTBALL?
Littler has played darts since a young age, but as a child he also enjoyed playing football. He told reporters that he used to play at centre-back, and remarked that "no-one was getting past me". The teenager doesn't play the beautiful game now, after deciding to fully focus on darts at the age of 10, although is clearly a fan of the EA Sports FC/FIFA franchise, having admitted that he only knew Brazil legend Pele from playing the game.