Summary
Darts sensation Luke Little once named his all-time footballing XI.
The teenager named two legends from his beloved Manchester United.
Five Premier League icons included in the team.
There are very few young stars captivating the world of sport like Luke Littler. The teenage darts sensation became the face of the sport overnight with his run to the 2024 World Darts Championship final, before going on to win the tournament the very next year.
Like any young person, Littler has his vices and passions outside of his profession, including one shared by most worldwide – their love of football. The 18-year-old is known to be a Manchester United fan and has grown up watching some of the very best players to have ever put on a pair of boots. And back in 2024, Littler revealed his ultimate 11 of players he has seen in his lifetime, including two men who featured for his beloved Red Devils.
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Goalkeeper and Defenders
Manuel Neuer, Dani Alves, Sergio Ramos, Virgil van Dijk, Marcelo
Kicking things off with the backline, Littler starts with one of the very best to have guarded the back of a net in Manuel Neuer. The German has won all there is to win in his career and has also been named in four FIFPro World XI's. At right-back sits one of the most decorated players in history, Dani Alves, who won a total of 43 trophies in his career.
The central defenders are made up of Real Madrid icon Sergio Ramos and Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk. The former was a leading light in his club and country's period of dominance in the 2010s, while the latter became the closest defender to winning the Ballon d'Or since Fabio Cannavaro received that award in 2006. Littler finishes things off with the recently retired Marcelo, who was another ever-present at the Bernabeu.
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Midfield
Kevin de Bruyne, N'golo Kante, Andres Iniesta
In the middle of the park, Littler has abandoned his allegiances to Manchester United to pay tribute to one of the greatest to represent the blue side of the city, Kevin De Bruyne. The Belgian is one of the greatest midfielders in Premier League history and ranks second in all-time assists, behind only Ryan Giggs.
One of the most beloved players in the modern game, N'Golo Kante, also finds his way into 'the Nuke's' team, providing the ideal balance between defence and attack. The hard-working Frenchman went from obscurity to World Cup winner in the space of a few short years, and his role in Leicester City's Premier League title and Chelsea's most recent Champions League victory cannot be understated.
Finally, Littler finishes off with Andres Iniesta. The Spanish playmaker is one of the best to ever operate in the engine room, even if the darts superstar wasn't old enough to truly appreciate just how good he was.
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Attackers
Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Wayne Rooney
Two of the front three pick themselves, as it is hard to argue with two of the greatest players to have ever graced the game. Littler is likely not old enough to remember how good Cristiano Ronaldo was in his first stint at Old Trafford, but he will certainly recognise his greatness from his years of dominance at Real Madrid, and still got to see the Portuguese make his triumphant return to the famous Theatre, even if it didn't end up going according to plan.
Alongside him is his long-time rival, Lionel Messi. The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner is the only man to be able to match or surpass Ronaldo's mind-boggling numbers. In terms of sheer natural ability, something Littler knows a thing or two about in his world, football will likely never see someone quite like the Argentine ever again.
That leaves the final man in the front three, for which there are a whole host of possibilities. Here, though, the teenager has gone with his heart, selecting his boyhood club's all-time top scorer and one of their greatest ever stars, Wayne Rooney.