The sliding doors decision Luke Littler's father forced him to make aged nine that put him on the path to greatness

As Luke Littler knows better than most, there are countless moments that mould a champion, crucial choices that shape the course of a career long before the bright lights and big occasions beckon. For Littler, who was just 17 years old when he defeated Michael van Gerwen at Alexandra Palace last month to become the youngest player to win the PDC World Darts Championship, a seminal moment arrived early.

Littler was just nine years old when his father, Anthony Buckley, gently redirected the budding young centre-back's focus - 'No one was getting past me,' Littler told reporters at Ally Pally last year - away from the football pitch and towards the oche. 'He was a good footballer,' said Buckley. 'He loved football. All kids do. But I said to him at nine, hang your boots up, concentrate on darts. You can still play football here and there. But if there’s a darts comp on at the weekends, go to darts first.

'Make that your priority, because I thought he could make it at darts - and he has done. When I said to him, you need to keep playing darts, he was OK with it. We put him in every competition that was online.'. The list of sportspeople who might have pursued successful careers in another discipline is long and illustrious. Basketball legend LeBron James was once a promising wide receiver, and even considered trading the NBA for the NFL during the 2011 lockout.

Luke Littler's decision to focus on darts rather than football at the suggestion of his father Anthony Buckley has reaped dividends for the 18-year-old. Littler has been dubbed 'the Cristiano Ronaldo of darts' by boyhood coach Karl Holden. The teenager proudly paraded his PDC world title trophy on the pitch at Old Trafford when Manchester United faced Brighton last month. Rafael Nadal, whose paternal uncle Miguel Angel Nadal played for Barcelona and Spain, opted for tennis over football at the age of 12. And Keely Hodgkinson, who won 800m gold at the Paris Olympics, was a promising swimmer until her parents persuaded her to choose running.

For Littler, an avid Manchester United supporter who also appreciates the game more generally, to judge by his visits to watch rival teams including Arsenal and Tottenham,  dreams of becoming the next Rio Ferdinand would come no closer to fruition than being dubbed 'the Cristiano Ronaldo of darts' by Karl Holden, his boyhood coach. Yet the 18-year-old, who first wielded a magnetic dart as a toddler and won his maiden senior title at the age of 14, might never have become a household name without the sacrifices made by Buckley, a former cab driver from Warrington.

'Sometimes you’re getting up at 7am on a Saturday - my only day off - just to play darts,' Buckley told the Times. 'There were no lie-ins.'. While Buckley's task was made easier by Littler's innate passion for darts, which meant he never needed to be cajoled into practice sessions - 'He was on the board 12 hours a day,' said Buckley, 'eat, sleep, darts, repeat' - there was still a conversation to be had when the time came for his nine-year-old son to quit football.

'I didn't realise I was going to be this good,' Littler told BBC Radio 2. 'I played football beforehand - every kid, every young person, wants to be a footballer. 'My dad said, "Hang your boots up let's focus on darts." I was like, "I love it though.". 'My dad said, "I think your ability to be a professional, you've got high chances.". Littler's friend and rival Nathan Aspinall says Buckley's 'hard talk over the years' shaped the player's success.

Littler poses with former United manager Sir Alex Ferguson during his visit to Old Trafford early last year. Man United first welcomed their biggest fan after his run in the 2024 PDC World Darts Championship that made him a household name. The darts wonderkid managed to take a selfie with Man United captain Bruno Fernandes during a visit to Old Trafford. 'My dad just knew.'. Tough love? At times, undoubtedly. Nathan Aspinall, currently ranked 11th in the PDC rankings, recalled following his 5-2 quarter-final defeat to Littler at Alexandra Palace last month how he initially felt Buckley was a hard taskmaster.

'The first time I came across Luke, I think it was in Chester in a tournament and I beat him 4-3,' said Aspinall. 'I was thinking, "Mate, he's 12," and I was in the top 16 in the world at that time. I said, "Give him a break.". 'His dad said: "No, he needs to learn". That hard talk over the years has probably produced one of the best players in our sport.'. The soundness of Buckley's judgment is reflected in his son's astonishing trophy haul - Littler's world title win came hard on the heels of 10 senior PDC trophies last year -  as well as the plush five-bedroom house on the outskirts of Warrington that Littler now shares with his parents.

The rented accommodation is a far cry from the £180,000 two-bedroom semi in which Littler grew up and yet, for all Littler's success, the family remains refreshingly grounded. Though the teenage prodigy banked £500,000 for his win at Ally Pally - taking his earnings to about £1.5 million in total - the holiday with which they marked his success was taken in Benidorm rather than a more exotic location like Dubai or the Maldives.