'You need to have arrogance' - Rooney and Littler on being number one

Wayne Rooney and Luke Littler both know what it is like to be thrust into the limelight at a young age.

A 16-year-old Rooney made the world sit up and take notice when he scored a stunning late winner for Everton against Arsenal in 2002.

At 18, he joined Manchester United in a £27m move, and by the time he was 21 he was a Premier League champion.

Darts world number one Littler was also 16 when he burst on to the scene by reaching the final of the 2024 World Championship.

He won both the Premier League and World Championship at 17 and successfully defended his world crown at 18.

At 19, he has 12 major titles to his name.

But when did Rooney and Littler realise that they could be among the best at such a young age?

"I've always had belief and this is where I think there's loads of comparisons [between us]. I think you have to have a certain level of arrogance to be at your best," Rooney told Littler in the latest episode of BBC Sport's The Wayne Rooney Show.

"When I got in Everton's first team, I've said it many times, I felt like I was the best player at 16."

For Littler, his moment of realisation came when he was beating players more than double his age.

"I've been playing tournament-wise for many years, maybe my first proper tournament was at like nine, maybe 10," he said. "And just like Wayne said, when you've showed a bit of arrogance, the more you do it, obviously people might not like it, but as long as you feel comfortable about doing it, that's all that matters.

"When I started playing in pub leagues I started playing against adults. They weren't happy losing to a 10 or 11-year-old.

"When I was beating them, I was going to the darts academy in St Annes as well, and I think the younger players in there were better than these old men. I was pretty much winning all the time."

The spotlight on Littler only got brighter when he won BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year in 2024, 22 years after Rooney did.

"The press can be mind boggling - you're not used to it," said Rooney.

"And [coming] from a similar area as I imagine to where Luke is from, you're not used to that.

"You're not used to media, you're not used to talking in front of cameras and, and it can be intimidating, but one thing which is always remains is your safe place.

"Mine was on the football pitch and I would imagine where he's comfortable is on the oche where he's playing, that's where no one can get to him. He's safe - they can write what they want."

Littler has started to draw more criticism over the past year or so, most recently following a mid-match spat with Gian van Veen during a quarter-final defeat on night nine of the Premier League in Manchester.

"When I first came on the scene, we were always looking at comments and everything, normally family, but now we just get used to it and just block it out," he said.

"There's always negativity with I think not only darts and football, every sport. Not everyone is going to like you and that's just that's just the way it is.

"Obviously the fans that pay the tickets, pay the money to watch us in person... I think obviously they do mean the most because obviously they want to watch us play good darts.

"But with the media - and bringing social media into it for the first time after the first [World Championship win in 2025] - it was hard to not bite back at people. But now it's just: Just leave it. We've gotten used to it."

Littler was booed in Brighton on Thursday as he suffered a second successive Premier League quarter-final loss [BBC]

Littler came close to becoming world champion at the first attempt in 2024, but was beaten by Luke Humphries in the final.

In hindsight, was it a good thing that he had to wait another year to get his hands on the ultimate prize?

"I think if I won the World Championships on debut, it would have been mental," Littler said.

"Two days after, when we went back home, I think even my mum and dad said: Looking back at it, we're glad that you didn't win it because it would have just been 100 times worse."

Rooney added: "Luke is in a position where I think the other darts players should be thankful [for him] because the prize money has improved for everyone else because of the eyeballs and the interest that Luke's brought.

"If that's [Nathan] Aspinall, no-one cares. It gets brushed away. But when it's Luke, obviously it becomes bigger. And that's part of being a superstar at your sport, that's things you have to deal with.

"I [once] offered someone to come to the training ground for a fight. It's all part of learning and it's tough."

A lot of young sporting prodigies tend to fizzle out, but - despite a slow start to the Premier League season - Littler appears to be going from strength to strength. Where does he find the motivation?

"I think just being myself and staying grounded," he said.

"Obviously the money's there as well, but everyone growing up, they're not always going to have money.

"So I'm not really a big spender either and I've not started investing anything yet or anything but I'm sure it'll come to that point but I've just got to keep going, keep getting more trophies and that's the most important bit in creating more history."

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