Luke Littler claims Phil Taylor ‘would wrestle’ in trendy darts – as teenage star insists he’ll beat icon’s World Championship document if he ‘may be bothered’
- Littler has one World Championship at 18 and is the world’s most in-form player
- Taylor, meanwhile, won 16 titles in his career before retiring from playing in 2018
- According to Littler, though, the playing field was a lot easier in Taylor’s day
Luke Littler has suggested a prime Phil Taylor ‘would struggle’ in the current darts climate as he continues to dominate the landscape.
Littler is the most in-form player in the world currently, having catapulted into stardom when he reached the World Championship final at 16 before winning the tournament a year later.
He is also six points clear at the top of the Premier League after eight weeks, having won half of the nights this year and also won the competition in his first year participating less than 12 months ago.
The teenage star is the first player that has appeared to potentially pose a serious threat to Taylor’s World Championship record – a tournament he won 16 times throughout his illustrious career.
Littler needs 15 more to equal the record, so it’s early days, but he has time on his side with one already in his locker and having only just turned 18.
But, speaking on this week’s Stick to Football podcast, brought to you by Sky Bet, Littler suggested it will be a little harder to pick up 16 world titles for him compared to how it was for Taylor.
Luke Littler (pictured) has suggested a prime Phil Taylor would struggle in modern darts
Taylor, widely considered the greatest player of all time, won 16 World Championship titles
Littler has been tipped by some to surpass the icon’s total, and needs 15 more to match it
‘There’s a record there to be broken, but it’s going to take some doing,’ Littler said. ‘He also won the World Matchplay 16 times, so he’s won two of the big majors 16 times. It’ll take some doing.
‘It [the competition] is a lot better now. You still had Phil Taylor, Eric Bristow… it was still a good field, but, nowadays, I think Phil would struggle.’
Taylor’s PDC career spanned from 1993 – when he was a founding member – to 2018, when he retired from the sport.
Now 64, he is still regarded as the greatest player of all time, and is 46 years Littler’s senior. Target darts teased a match between the two on April Fools Day, but they instead faced off in a match of Jenga.
Littler, meanwhile, has grown in confidence over the last year or so, and is known for his laid-back attitude towards his game.
After winning night seven of the Premier League, he claimed he had not played darts since the week before, and withdrew from the European Darts Trophy – won by Nathan Aspinall – last month.
His attitude towards practicing has raised eyebrows, as he continues to enjoy vast success despite seemingly hardly hitting the board.
But, according to the man himself, he will surpass Taylor in the future – if he wants to.
Littler added that he believed he will beat Taylor’s record if he ‘can be bothered’ to stay in darts
He branded Taylor his ‘idol’ as he pointed out that he also won the World Matchplay 16 times
Littler won his first world title at 17 earlier this year, having reached the final in 2024
‘Phil Taylor was my idol,’ Littler continued. ‘If I can be bothered to stay in darts for that time, I could maybe beat his record.
‘He was 52 when he won his 16th world title. If I want to, then I will.’
When asked what the biggest motivator would be to keep playing, he replied: ‘Probably just the money, to be fair.’
The prize pool for players on the PDC Tour was recently increased, with the total annual payout up from £7million to £25m, with the winner of the World Championship to win £1m rather than £500,000.
