Luke Littler is 19, a two-time world champion and the biggest name in darts. The one thing missing from his trophy-lifting routine, he says, is the man he grew up watching at Old Trafford.

The teenager said in a Target Darts video, alongside fellow player Justin Hood, that his dream scenario would be Cristiano Ronaldo handing him a trophy, according to Oche180. The daydream lands in a sweet spot for a lifelong Manchester United supporter who has rarely hidden his admiration for the Portuguese forward.

The admission is not out of character. At the BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year ceremony in December 2024, Littler was asked which sports star he most wanted to meet.

“There’s only one person who I’d like to meet and that’s Cristiano Ronaldo,” he told Katie Catherall, as reported by Goal.

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World number one with one major missing

Littler claimed his second consecutive PDC World Championship title in January and sits at the top of the world rankings. The European Championship remains the only senior major title he has not won, and that gap did not close in Dortmund this weekend.

He was knocked out by Krzysztof Ratajski and told Sky Sports that he “just didn’t click” in defeat.

A Target Darts deal worth £20m

The Target Darts video sits inside a wider commercial relationship reported to be worth around £20m over 10 years, described as the largest sponsorship deal in darts history. Target’s Garry Plummer first met Littler at a BDO Youth World Championship qualifier when the player was 12.

Ronaldo left Manchester United in November 2022 and now plays for Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia.

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