Phil Taylor calls Luke Littler darts' Ronnie O'Sullivan: "He can blow you away in the blink of an eye"

After his breakthrough performance at the Alexandra Palace twelve months ago, Luke Littler has already been making waves at the 2025 PDC World Darts Championship, beating Ryan Meikle 3-1 with a record breaking average of over 140 in the final set.

One man left incredibly impressed is 16-time champion of the world, Phil Taylor, who insists Littler has helped 'The Power' re-find his love of the sport. “I went through a spell where I didn’t really watch the darts if it was on the box, but this kid is so special I always want to see him play," Taylor says in quotes collected by Mirror Sport. “It’s not just the way he knows his way around the board, it’s not just the speed of his throw and the tempo of his game."

Follow the PDC World Darts Championship 2025 via our LIVE SCORE!

Read also

Everything about the 2025 PDC World Darts Championship: Schedule, results, TV guide and prize money

According to Taylor, Littler is reminiscent of both himself and a snooker legend. "He reminds me of Ronnie O’Sullivan because he can change the course of a game so quickly," he explains. “When Ronnie is on it, he’s fantastic to watch. You might be level-pegging with him and five minutes later, he’s knocked it out of the park with a century break and he’s gone. Young Luke’s the same – he can blow you away in the blink of an eye and I just love watching him.”

“I think his emergence has been brilliant, absolutely brilliant. I love the way he walks up there," Taylor continues. “He is not interested in money. He is interested in titles. He is interested in enjoying himself. If he doesn’t win, he isn’t a sulker, he doesn’t throw his toys out of the cot, he just gets on with it. He loves his parents – his main objective is to look after his mum, dad and brother, and I think that is a brilliant quality. That is my schooling, the way I was brought up. Respect your parents – without them you wouldn’t be here."

“The first time I won something, if it was in January, I thought ‘this is my gas bill, electric bill, rates and food tax, insurance on the car, all paid for the year. Everything else is a bonus.’ What impresses me most about young Luke? He is just so calm and collected. He doesn’t take things to heart. Nothing bothers him. People are slagging him, or praising him, he takes it all on the chin," Taylor adds. “What he is like when he is on his own, when he shuts the bedroom door, I don’t know. But what I have seen of him so far, he just gets on with it. He is on his phone, plays his game, has something to eat. He is quiet. He is not one of those that tells you, I will win this, I will do that. He just goes in there and does it. It’s great.”

Littler will next be back in action against Ian White at the 2025 PDC World Darts Championship, looking to reach the last 16 and keep his hopes of a first ever world title alive.

Subscribe to our Newsletter

Unlock your ultimate darts experience—subscribe today for exclusive access to top stories.

Subscribe