Luke Littler’s David Beckham textual content, Sir Alex Ferguson recommendation, WWE star video

Luke Littler is preparing for the biggest night of his life as he faces Michael van Gerwen in the World Darts Championship final, and the 17-year-old has some familiar faces cheering him on

Luke Littler has likely been flooded with good luck messages from his celebrity mates after securing his spot in the World Darts Championship final.

The 17-year-old demolished Stephen Bunting 6-1 in a thrilling semi-final on Thursday with an impressive 105.48 average score and banging in 13 180s. Littler is no stranger to the big stage, as he’s earned his way into his second successive Worlds final and will be looking to take the crown this year.

Up next in Friday night’s final showdown is Michael van Gerwen, but the teenager isn’t showing any nerves. Speaking to Sky Sports, Littler said: “If we both turn up like we did tonight, it will be really good.

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“As soon as Luke Humphries went out, that’s what everyone was looking at, but I had to focus on the quarter-finals and semi-finals. Now I’ve done that, I can focus on Michael tomorrow. We all know he’s hunting for a fourth world title. I’m hunting for my first. Same as last night, go home, chill out and come back tomorrow.”

With the darts sensation aiming to throw his way into the history books, we have looked at some of the A-listers he’s been mingling with on his rise to fame and those rallying behind him on Friday night.

David Beckham’s good luck text

Manchester United legend David Beckham sent over a supportive text before Littler’s previous Worlds final appearance last year. The darts player is a die-hard Red Devils supporter and hasn’t shied away from expressing his love for the team.

Littler confessed that hearing from Beckham was a “pinch me” moment. At the time he did point out that the Inter Miami owner hadn’t followed him on social media yet – leading to many urging Beckham to connect with the young star online.

So, when Beckham did add Littler to his exclusive list of followers – which includes just 635 people compared to his whopping 88.3million follower count – the darts prodigy was over the moon. Littler shared a screenshot of the follow on his Instagram story, complete with a heart eyes emoji and a hands-raised emoji.

Sir Alex Ferguson’s three-word message

It’s not just ex-United players in Littler’s corner, with club legend Sir Alex Ferguson also impressed by the 17-year-old’s meteoric rise. After the Worlds final in 2024, Littler was invited to the team’s Carrington training ground, where he met the legendary Scotsman.

He encountered him again at Old Trafford when United drew 2-2 with Tottenham. Speaking about the chance meeting, Littler said: “Unbelievable, I met Sir Alex Ferguson and got him to sign my top for me.

“I had a chat with him, and I was with Tommy Fury as well. It was good to get me in a quite good seat, and I actually wore some decent clothes for once instead of just trackies!” Littler later admitted to The Telegraph that he found the Scotsman’s accent challenging: “I didn’t really understand him. I did hear him say, ‘stick at it’.”

WWE star’s personal video chat

WWE mega-star Cody Rhodes gave young darts sensation Luke Littler a proper shout-out for his blistering performance last year, just before Littler appeared at the US Darts Masters in May. Visiting the WWE’s American HQ with British wrestling legend William Regal, Littler was gobsmacked when the Undisputed Champion sent him a video message.

Rhodes said: “Luke ‘The Nuke’ Littler, this is the American Nightmare Cody Rhodes, Undisputed WWE Champion. I heard you were going to WWE HQ, getting a little tour-ski. I love it. I heard you are a fan of WWE. I love that even more. My friend, we are fans of yours.

“I am a fan of the darts game, simply because of the show Deep Space Nine. Bashir, O’Brien. I know that is a deep cut, maybe you’ve never even seen the show but it gave me an appreciated of darts. Clearly have an appreciated of you as an athlete, as a performer, as a competitor. My man, you are a champion’s champion from one champion to another. Luke, my friend, see you down the road.”

Shocked by the message, Littler was lost for words as he could only say: “I did not expect that.” In a nod to the American Nightmare, he later walked onto the oche with Rhodes’ “Kingdom” theme tune as his entrance music.

More celebrity encounters

Littler’s celebrity connections list includes football royalty like Beckham and Sir Alex Ferguson – but it’s not just United stars that are friends with the teenager.

Speaking to BBC Sport early last year, Littler said: “Rio Ferdinand wants me on his podcast. JaackMaate wants me on his podcast. Angry Ginge wants to meet me and get me on a podcast. It’s all just crazy. I had Luke Shaw as well and Jesse Lingard who have been supporting me. It’s crazy.”

Now, he’s good friends with Twitch gamer AngryGinge – real name Morgan Burtwhistle – and both are die-hard United fans. They’ve become regulars on AngryGinge’s streaming channel, often playing EAFC 25 alongside other internet personalities.

Littler has struck up a close bond with Formula 1 star and McLaren driver Lando Norris, as he appeared at Silverstone in July last year to meet some of the drivers and teach them a few darts skills. Big names like Norris, Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez were on hand to greet Littler and pick up some darting tips.

Littler also dropped by the United grounds in 2024 for a darts face-off with some of the current squad. The teenager commemorated the moment with a picture shared on Instagram, where he was seen posing with Mason Mount, Harry Maguire, Rasmus Holjund, Tom Heaton, Victor Lindelof, and Christian Eriksen.