Littler copies Messi as he sleeps with trophy – but fans are more interested in darts star’s bedding

LUKE LITTLER has emulated football icon Lionel Messi by sleeping with his World Championship trophy.

Littler, 17, was crowned the youngest-ever darts world champion after beating Michael van Gerwen 7-3 in the final of the World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace on Friday.

After bagging the £500,000 prize pot Littler burst into tears on the stage as he also rocketed to No.2 in the world rankings.

And the following day, the 17-year-old shared a picture on social media of him tucked up in bed alongside the huge Sid Waddell trophy, presented to him on the night by Sir Chris Hoy.

Following a hectic end to the tournament, Littler captioned the post, which also showed off a picture of his dog, Nala: “Home sweet home. Think Nala loves it too.”

He was seen snuggling up with the trophy in bed under a Santa-themed duvet cover.

And fans were loving the Nuke’s cover, with one fan writing: “Can we just appreciate the choice of bedding?”

A second said: “Just a normal young lad in his bed with his Christmas duvet on, enjoying his success – amazing.”

A third added: “The bedding too.”

Another said: “The bedding choice is immaculate.”

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The image echoes the photo of football superstar Messi sleeping with the World Cup’s Jules Rimet trophy after winning it with Argentina in 2022.

The post from December 2022 has more than 54 million likes.

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By comparison, 50 minutes after Littler’s post went live it had been liked 205,000 times.

Meanwhile, the image also gave fans a small glimpse inside the new mansion Littler splashed out on for his parents.

Littler’s incredible 2024 saw him pocket £1.5million in prize money, while also landing several lucrative sponsorship deals.

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His newfound fame also saw him strike up friendships with a host of celebs, including Man Utd stars of past and present and social media personalities such as AngryGinge.

Back in June, he teased that he would get a new car after he passed his driving test – a modest Volkswagen.

However, it was then revealed he moved his parents from their £180,000 two-bed semi to a £6,000-a-month flashy property on “Millionaires Row” in Warrington.

The five-bedroom detached pad is in a leafy village on the outskirts of his hometown in Cheshire.

It was Littler’s parents who spilled the beans on their plush new rental home.

The dart’s star’s parents Anthony Buckley, 43, and Lisa Littler, 40 shared loved up snaps of themselves enjoying a swim in its private pool on Instagram.

Behind them, a projection screen showed they were keeping up with the darts, watching Littler’s rival Luke Humphries in action.

Aside from the swimming pool, the property boasts a large garden and has six bathrooms.

But ahead of his 18th birthday, Littler has also revealed how he intends to splash some of his winnings on a new Mercedes motor, with the cheapest A-Class going for about £30,000.

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