Phil Taylor believes Luke Littler has the potential to surpass his record of 16 World Championship titles, but warns the teenage sensation must make major sacrifices to do so. "Will he overtake my record of 16 World Championship titles? He could do, he's absolutely fantastic," said Taylor. "Would it bother me? Not at all – records are there to be broken, and I've had more publicity since he came on the scene than I ever had when I was winning it."
Taylor, who won 16 world titles during his career, insists Littler has almost everything he needs for lasting success. "Luke has got age on his side, he's got the ability and he's got a lovely family behind him." However, he cautioned: "He is so down to earth, such a nice kid, that if he remembers to live a boring life for the next 20 years – steer clear of nightclubs, booze, fast cars and all the normal vices for a young man – the sky's the limit for him. If he is prepared to make those sacrifices and live like a monk, he could break all sorts of records."
Two-time world champion Dennis Priestley also expects Littler to reach unprecedented heights, both on the oche and financially. Priestley, who claimed the first world title of the PDC era in 1994 with a 6-1 victory over Taylor, has watched the sport change dramatically since his own playing days. The world champion received £16,000 back then, while Littler earned a staggering £1 million for defending his title last January. "We don't yet know what Littler is going to achieve, and how good he's going to be, because he's got another 20 or 30 years ahead of him if he wants it," said Priestley. "If he's still going when he's 40, and he practises even half as much as Phil, the mind boggles."
Priestley has previously made a striking prediction about the young Englishman's financial future. "I once said that if he stays grounded, and he can be top of the tree for 10 years, he could be worth more than David Beckham." In the book Champions: The Golden Age of Darts From Priestley to Littler, Priestley expresses his admiration for today's generation: "If I had the chance to do it all again, I would throw like Luke Littler, Luke Humphries or Adrian Lewis, who was maybe the first player to make it look so simple and fluid."
Taylor also expects darts to become increasingly professional, with top players living like professional tennis players, complete with their own coaches, nutritionists, masseurs and drivers. At the same time, he warns that success has its downside – the more Littler wins, the harder it could become to cope with defeat. For now, Littler has no plans to slow down. In the same book, he makes clear: "I've got plenty of years ahead of me, and obviously if I'm good at it, I want to keep going."
