Luke Littler isn’t just any old teenager. At just 19, Littler is a cultural and sporting phenomenon. He is the youngest-ever PDC World Darts Championship finalist, and already a two-time world champion.
Not only that, but he is also a millionaire. Littler’s performances at the oche have earned him just under £3million in prize money, while his lucrative endorsement deals with brands such as boohooMAN, Xbox and KP Nuts have helped make him one of the wealthiest teenagers in the country.
Earlier this week it was announced that Littler had renewed his £1million deal with boohooMAN, while his partnership with Target Darts is estimated to be worth £20million over a decade.
It may seem unnecessary, then, for Littler to be plumbing the depths of eBay to top up his earnings, and yet that is exactly how the young darts prodigy has been spending his spare time – much like any other young sports fanatic.
In recent months, Littler’s eBay account, entitled lukethenuke180, has seen plenty of activity advertising Topps football cards for sale. The prices range from £4.91 – for a Bruno Fernandes 100th assist card – to £245.10 for a signed Diego Simeone card.
His most recent listing was from just a week ago and is offering a Tottenham’s Harry Gray signed card for £21.50. On the same day, he also posted a signed Arsenal Eberechi Eze card, while the highest-priced item on offer from last week is a signed Rio Ngumoha card, which is currently being advertised at £94.30 – or best offer.
The 19-year-old’s performances at the oche have earned him just under £3 million, while he also has lucrative endorsement deals with brands such as boohooMAN, Xbox and KP Nuts
Littler’s eBay account, entitled lukethenuke180, has seen plenty of activity advertising Topps football cards for sale in recent months
After banking the sport’s biggest prize for a second time at Ally Pally in January, Man United superfan Littler revealed how he had become interested in football trading cards
Littler’s eBay page was created in October last year and shows he has already sold a staggering 324 items – and has 98.1 per cent positive feedback from his buyers.
One buyer wrote: ‘Excellent purchase and great value for money. Well packaged and fast delivery. The description hit the bullseye (two darts emojis). If you’re thinking of purchasing off the Nuke, give him the green light as he’s ready to go.’
After banking the sport’s biggest prize for a second time at Ally Pally in January, Littler revealed how he had become interested in football trading cards after being introduced to the live-shopping app Whatnot by his YouTube friend Angry Ginge.
He said after the win: ‘I’m into football cards at the minute, so I might have to treat myself to a few boxes. Just a few.
‘Panini cards, Topps cards, anything. It’s Ginge’s fault really; he got me into Whatnot.
‘You bid and they will open a box and then they say you get Cristiano Ronaldo, you get a Ronaldo card. I will treat myself to that.’
A week later, the Manchester United superfan shared a picture to his Instagram story of him and girlfriend Faith Millar packaging up a huge bundle of cards – including a Kobbie Mainoo collectable.
Millar posted a picture of Littler on the floor packing parcels with the caption: ‘Well, that was a mission’.
Rebecca May, PR Expert and Founder of RM Publicity, believes that Littler’s card trading is just another – perhaps unknowing – move by the youngster to improve his own marketability.
‘Littler’s move into streaming and selling signed trading cards online is a very savvy business move,’ May tells Daily Mail Sport. ‘It allows him to diversify his income and build a personal brand outside of professional darts.
‘It also makes him more of a lifestyle brand, he has interests beyond darts, which makes him a more dynamic and marketable talent.
Just a week after winning the PDC World Darts Championship in January, Littler was advertising and packaging a raft of collectable football cards on his eBay page
Littler is wrestling with the likes of Jude Bellingham, Emma Raducanu and Keely Hodgkinson for ‘national treasure’ status
‘Some sports stars can feel untouchable, but with Luke he comes across like someone you’d actually know in real life – someone you get behind and cheer on. He also has interests that are similar to his age group, which makes him even more relatable in my view.’
The Warrington star has £2,962,000 on his PDC ranking list, and he said earlier in the year that he would like to break the £3 million mark this year.
‘Obviously it’s a lot of money. I’m the first player to break the £2 million mark,’ he said.
‘Hopefully I can try and get up to £3 million. I’ve said it before in the past, us as a family we’ve never had this sort of money. So I’m not going to go and waste it. I’m not going to change. I’m not going to start buying stuff. I’ll just stay as I am.
‘I don’t need to change. This is me as I am. Even when I’m at home, I’m the same person. I’m just a darts player at the end of the day. People call me a celebrity but I’m just a boy living his dream.’
And May believes the sky is the limit for Littler, who is wrestling with the likes of Jude Bellingham, Emma Raducanu and Keely Hodgkinson for ‘national treasure’ status – and has made darts ‘cool again for a whole generation’.
‘Based on his current trajectory, Luke’s profile will continue to grow and his market value could exceed £50million over the next 10 years,’ she adds. ‘The top end of this could reach £90+million in ideal conditions.
‘He likely remains just behind global-facing sporting icons like Bellingham in terms of overall international marketability at the moment, but ahead of (the likes of) Raducanu and Hodgkinson in terms of deal value and momentum. He is certainly challenging many global football stars.
‘He has made darts cool again for a whole new generation, and not only is he doing amazing things for his sport, but more broadly on a mainstream scale he is becoming an icon that people can also relate to.’
Who knows how much a signed Luke Littler trading card will sell for one day.
