Motomu Sakai Stuns Darts Fans With 'Greatest Ever Walk-On' at Ally Pally

Motomu Sakai gave the capacity Alexandra Palace crowd one of the greatest walk-ons of all time ahead of his World Darts Championship debut against Thibault Tricole.

Sakai, a PDC Asian Tour runner-up who is widely regarded as one of the best players in Japan, came up against French number one Tricole on Thursday afternoon.

Before taking to the stage, "The Creature" was given a rapturous reception from the Ally Pally crowd as he made his eccentric entrance to the song Ojamajo Carnival.

Sakai's walk-on was originally sung by Moho and was used as the opening song to the anime Ojamajo Doremi, a series that focuses on a group of elementary school girls who become witch apprentices.

The 28-year-old interacted with members of the crowd as he walked to the oche, punching the air in delight before signing somebody's blank placard. Sakai soon danced his way to the water table.

Fans flocked to social media to give their thoughts on the memorable entrance.

One said: "What a showman Motomu Sakai is! Great walk on, great shirt, bull finish and looks like he’s really enjoying it up there! He’s gained a new fan."

A second wrote: "Look I don't mean to be dramatic or anything but I think Motomu Sakai might be my new favourite player, ever," and a third commented: "Well there's the cult hero for the year."

A fourth added: "Put him in the Premier League now or shall we let him finish this game first?"

Sakai, who has been described as "Alligator-obsessed" by Darts Planet, secured his place in the second round of this year's World Championship with a resounding 3-0 victory over Tricole.

Speaking ahead of the first round game, Tricole opened up on his mindset coming into Thursday's clash against the highly-rated Japanese player.

“I’m not saying it’s my year because I don’t have the talent to go all the way, but the draw is definitely more open than what I had last year, or even the year before," he told Flashscore.

“I often have this issue where I tend to play better against higher-ranked players than against outsiders. I put too much pressure on myself when I’m the favourite, so that’s something I need to work on. I have to accept my role, my status.”

Tricole added: “It’s the classic footballer’s line – take it one match at a time – but it’s true. Because it’s so mental that if you start thinking you’ve won before you’ve even played, you’re setting yourself up for a fall.”