Darts legend 'concerned' for Luke Littler after celebrity call-out and 'bandwagon' issues

Darts legend Dennis Priestley has voiced his concern over "celebrities" who are "jumping on the bandwagon" of Luke Littler's rapid rise in the sport and beyond.

Littler has enjoyed a whirlwind few months. After reaching the World Championship final in January following wins over Raymond van Barneveld and Rob Cross, the teenager has continued to shine on the biggest stage.

He lifted his first senior ranking event at the Bahrain Masters with a win over Michael van Gerwen.

And after beating Ryan Searle in the opening Players Championship event, he has been rampant on the Premier League circuit, winning back-to-back events in Belfast and Manchester.

Littler has also seen a surge in popularity on his social media channels, with his latest mention coming from David Beckham's son Romeo, who plays for Brentford B.

Beckham challenged Littler to a game of darts and, although the request was lighthearted, former world champion Priestley has his concerns over "celebrities" and the limelight.

"It'd be incredible to get David Beckham involved in darts - I'm not so sure about Romeo. Is he just trying to jump on the bandwagon of Luke Littler's media attention?" Priestley told OLBG.

"We can't forget, Luke Littler is still so young and we have to be a little bit concerned for the lad. He's going to be forced to turn his head if all these top stars are wanting to be seen in his presence."

He added: "As long as they can play and they're proper darts enthusiasts then it's all well and good but if it's going to extract anything good from our game then you can only go so far with celebrities jumping on the Littler bandwagon."

Image credit: Getty

Priestley has also warned Littler to look after his money if he wants to retire young.

“If Luke Littler really wants to retire from darts in 10-15 years, then looking after his money is exactly what he needs to be doing,” he said “It all depends on the people around him and how they'll invest his huge winnings.

“I hope the PDC are helping Luke and giving him the right advice too. Gary, the owner of Target Darts, will earn Luke Littler a lot of money. He was exceptional for Phil Taylor.

“Whether Luke will earn as much as Phil, I'm not sure. Taylor must've won something like £12million. If Littler wants to earn that figure then he has to be at the top of his game for 15 years to match that."