Luke Littler reveals shock RETIREMENT plan just months after 17-year-old turned pro and took darts world by storm

LUKE LITTLER has revealed his shock retirement plans – less than three months after bursting onto the scene.

He became a national phenomenon with his fairytale run at the PDC World Darts Championship in December.

That came to an end on January 3 when Luke Humphries, 28, beat the then 16-year-old 7-4 at Ally Pally to be crowned world champion.

The star, dubbed ‘Luke the Nuke’, picked up £200,000 despite losing that before he won the Bahrain Masters and pocketed another £20,000 for beating Michael van Gerwen in the final.

Littler then returned to hometown Warrington for a low-key 17th birthday celebration and went on to beat beat Humphries in the semi-finals of the Dutch Masters but suffered a loss to MVG in the final.

He only turned professional last month and capped a whirlwind few weeks with a first a call-up for and then making his Premier League bow.

So far he has won £252,000 in prize money in 2024 and also formed a lucrative partnership with fashion retailer boohooMAN.

And just this week Littler signed the “biggest deal in darts” after agreeing a multi-year partnership with loyal sponsors Target Darts.

However, it does not seem that he plans to keep playing as long as some of his idols have.

During an interview with The Times, it was put to the ace that his final appearance at the World Championships would be in 2065 should he continue until he is the same age as Phil Taylor.

That led to Littler replying: “I’ve been playing a long time in the juniors, in the old British Darts Federation.

“I might just do ten or fifteen years and retire, if I’ve had enough.”

That means that he could be done and dusted by the age of 27.

However, for now he was delighted after penning the deal with Target Darts.

It is believed to be a multi-million pound agreement and that figure is based on potential earnings and bonuses over the next five to ten years as well as a percentage of sales of products and equipment to arrows fans.

Littler said: “It’s a really special moment to be signing a long-term deal with Target Darts.

“They have supported me through the Elite1 program since I was 12 and I look forward to continuing this great relationship into the future.

“The support and attention to detail Target provide has been massive in helping to evolve my game.

“The last few months have been a whirlwind, but one of the best things has been hearing how many new people are taking up darts.

“I really hope these products will help inspire the next generation of players.”