Luke Littler became the youngest ever world champion early this season and continues to pulverize records. The money is also pouring in for "The Nuke," and none other than darts legend Dennis Priestley foresees a golden future for Littler if he manages to keep both his feet on the ground.
Littler showed his class again last week at the Premier League Darts in Sheffield, where he outclassed Stephen Bunting 6-1 with an average of over 114. He then also defeated Nathan Aspinall and reigning world champion Luke Humphries. It earned him his sixth weekly title in this prestigious competition, making him the frontrunner to travel to the O2 Arena in London for the playoffs on May 29.
According to Dennis "The Menace" Priestley, Littler's future lies not only in sporting glory, but also in financial security. "Luke Littler and several other young players will win more prize money than Phil Taylor ever did, by a long way," he said to OLBG. "But getting to £100million like players in other sports will be some ask. Getting to £10million will be simple for Luke if he keeps his head down with the new £1million prize money, then he can go from there."
The comparison with Phil Taylor, who racked up some 8.5 million pounds in prize money during his peerless career, is telling. Littler already sits at an estimated net worth of 1.5 million, thanks in part to his world title in January that netted him half a million pounds. If he manages to win the Premier League, another 275,000 pounds will be added.
Priestley points especially to the changing zeitgeist in the darts world: prize money has risen sharply, exposure is greater than ever, and for someone with Littler's talent and flair, the opportunities are there for the taking. "With the new prize money of one million per world title, he can really start to build," he said.
Littler himself remained remarkably level-headed after his victory in Sheffield. "It is a tough format but I have got myself through. I am very happy to be top again and breaking all these records once again. I am very ready. I am ready for the semi-final.
That confidence is not misplaced: Littler previously won a semifinal on that stage, but realizes he should not underestimate opponents like Gerwyn Price.
"It is the O2, I have been there before, I have won a semi-final there before but so has Gerwyn [Price]. I am looking forward to it. In the Premier League there is always points up for grabs, there is always the £10,000 bonus, so we are always going to be playing for something. "For myself, it is probably just a warm-up."
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