Millionaire with a hobby: why Luke Littler is using love of trading cards to fund potential £90 million empire

The rise of Luke Littler is not just a sporting success story, but also a cultural phenomenon breathing new life into the darts world. At barely 19 years of age, the young Englishman has already written himself into the history books, with, among other achievements, a final appearance and multiple titles at the World Darts Championship. Yet it’s not only his performances on the oche that stand out—it’s above all his personality and lifestyle that make him so special to the public.

While many elite athletes immerse themselves completely in their professional lives from a young age, Littler remains strikingly true to himself. Despite millions in prize money and highly lucrative sponsorship deals with the likes of boohooMAN and Target Darts, he spends his free time on something many teenagers will recognize: collecting and trading football cards.

Through his eBay account, Littler regularly sells trading cards of well-known footballers such as Bruno Fernandes and Eberechi Eze. The amounts range from a few euros to a few hundred pounds—sums that pale in comparison to his earnings as a darts player. But money clearly doesn’t seem to be the motivation here as his friend AngryGinge who won I'm a Celebrity got him into that world.

"I’m into football cards at the minute, so I might have to treat myself to a few boxes. Just a few," he said after scooping the World title.

"Panini cards, Topps cards, anything. It’s Ginge’s fault really; he got me into Whatnot. You bid and they will open a box and then they say you get Cristiano Ronaldo, you get a Ronaldo card. I will treat myself to that."

That hobby arose in part thanks to the influence of online personalities like Angry Ginge and platforms such as Whatnot, where users bid live on collectibles. It illustrates how Littler, despite his status, remains firmly rooted in the world his generation inhabits.

According to experts, that is precisely what makes him so valuable. Where some top athletes can seem unapproachable, Littler comes across as someone you could easily run into said Rebecca May, PR Expert and Founder of RM Publicity to the Daily Mail. "Some sports stars can feel untouchable, but with Luke he comes across like someone you’d actually know in real life - someone you get behind and cheer on. He also has interests that are similar to his age group, which makes him even more relatable in my view."

That attitude is also paying off commercially. Littler is increasingly mentioned in the same breath as young British sports icons such as Jude Bellingham, Emma Raducanu, and Keely Hodgkinson. Although he may be slightly less known internationally than some of them, his market value is growing at lightning speed.

"Based on his current trajectory, Luke's profile will continue to grow and his market value could exceed £50million over the next 10 years," the aforementioned Rebecca May for RM Publicity added in the same report. "The top end of this could reach £90+million in ideal conditions.

‘He likely remains just behind global-facing sporting icons like Bellingham in terms of overall international marketability at the moment, but ahead of (the likes of) Raducanu and Hodgkinson in terms of deal value and momentum. He is certainly challenging many global football stars.

‘He has made darts cool again for a whole new generation, and not only is he doing amazing things for his sport, but more broadly on a mainstream scale he is becoming an icon that people can also relate to.’

Yet Littler himself remains strikingly down to earth amid all the attention. He regularly emphasizes that he has no intention of drastically changing his lifestyle. “I’m just a darts player living his dream,” is an attitude that fits his image perfectly.

That combination of sporting class and everyday interests makes him unique. And it ensures that his popularity reaches beyond the traditional darts fan. He speaks to a new generation—young, digital, and interested in more than just sport.