Luke Littler pulled off the remarkable feat of becoming the youngest player to win the World Darts Championship, aged just 17, with a dominant win over Michael van Gerwen.
And it seems his phone has not stopped ringing all night with some of the country’s biggest celebrities getting in touch to offer The Nuke their heartfelt congratulations.
The teenage sensation dominated three-time champion van Gerwen in a 7-3 win on Friday night to lift the Sid Waddell Trophy at Alexander Palace.
The Nuke added the finishing touch to a remarkable year which began with his 2024 Alexandra Palace final against Luke Humphries – where he lost 7-4 – and featured wins in Bahrain, Austria, Belgium and Poland to earn £1million in prize money.
He also lifted the Premier League trophy before cruising past the likes of Stephen Bunting and Nathan Aspinall to seize a spot in the final at the Worlds.
Now the great and the good of British society have paid tribute to Littler, with former England captain David Beckham leading those heaping praise on the star.
Celebrities have led tributes to Luke Littler after winning the World Darts Championship aged 17
The Nuke thrashed three-time world champion Michael van Gerwen 7-3 at Alexandra Palace
The teen sensation revealed the contents of a conversation with David Beckham after the game
The 49-year-old, who played for Littler’s beloved Manchester United for 11 years, got in touch with The Nuke after the match and in an interview with Sky Sports he revealed what the football legend had told him.
The teenage star said: ‘He said “Wow, well done”. I said “Thank you”. Goes to show how well I’ve done for the sport.
‘Not only for myself but the other hundreds of professionals out there. But to see the likes of David Beckham watching, it feels crazy.’
Littler has visited United’s Carrington training ground before and, following his Ally Pally triumph, vowed to show off the shiny new silverware at Old Trafford as soon as possible.
He said: ‘If they allow me to then I’m sure I’ll go to Old Trafford. Yeah [it’s an honour] I’m glad I beat Stephen [Bunting] yesterday as I’m pretty sure he was going to take it to Anfield on the weekend.’
Current United stars also heaped praise on Littler following his demolition of van Gerwen.
Harry Maguire posted: ‘Ridiculous. Congratulations.’
Marcus Rashford simply reposted a picture of the pair together at United’s Carrington training ground.
Celebrities have been heaping praise on The Nuke after he became the youngest champion
Chelsea icon John Terry also joined in on the congratulations, saying: ‘Phenomenal @lukethenukelittler. Congratulations.’
Footballers were not the only celebrities to pay tribute to The Nuke following his record-breaking victory, with the Prime Minister extending his congratulations to the titan of tungsten.
Sir Keir Starmer said: ‘Mesmerising performance from @LukeTheNuke180 to win the World Darts Championship.
‘Congratulations Luke on being the youngest ever PDC World Darts Champion. An inspirational performance under such pressure to lift the trophy.
‘You should be really proud of what you’ve achieved tonight, not just for yourself but for the sport of darts as a whole.’
Little Britain creator and movie star Matt Lucas weighed in, saying: ‘Wow! Congratulations!’
US Open-winning golfer Justin Rose added: ‘Just awesome… Congratulations (world) Champion.’
Actor Martin Kemp posted: ‘Congratulations @LukeTheNuke180.’
Littler also aimed a subtle dig at Stephen Bunting who made clear his desire to take it to Anfield
Littler’s Red Devils have had a disastrous campaign, lying in 14th under Ruben Amorim
Fellow darting icons also had kind words to say about the 17-year-old world champion.
Two-time world champion Adrian Lewis said: ‘Congratulations well deserved @LukeTheNuke180 unlucky @MvG180 Great effort.’
Luke Humphries, who beat Littler 7-4 in last year’s final, added: ‘Congratulations to @LukeTheNuke180 on becoming world champion. I think it was very well deserved! Unlucky @MvG180 never gave in and showed a valiant effort!’
Phil Taylor, who won 16 world titles, added: ‘Huge Congratulations to @LukeTheNuke180 what a fantastic performance and now a Champion of the World.’
Bobby George said: ‘Congratulations @LukeTheNuke180 you certainly weren’t a fluke young man. Fantastic!’
And James Wade posted: ‘Congratulations to @LukeTheNuke180 on becoming a world champion. Classy performance.’
