Luke Littler’s rise up the ranks in professional darts over the past couple of years has been one of the most remarkable stories in the sporting world.

The teenager won the 2025 World Darts Championship and is the bookmakers’ favourite to retain the title at the Alexandra Palace this time around.

The betting experts at Spreadex Sports believe he will hit the most 180s at the Ally Pally, which would go a long way to helping him claim a second world crown.

Littler’s exploits have triggered inevitable comparisons with Phil Taylor, who dominated darts across three decades and is rated as the greatest player of all time.

Many people believe Littler will eventually surpass Taylor’s achievements, but that notion is undoubtedly fanciful. Read on as we take a closer look.

Taylor is the undisputed number one

Taylor initially made his mark in the British Darts Organisation (BDO), winning two world titles before joining the World Darts Council. This was later renamed the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC).

He subsequently won another 14 world titles and held the world number one ranking for 13 years in total, including eight in a row from 2006 to 2013.

He incredibly reached 14 consecutive finals from 1994 to 2007, establishing a legacy of greatness that Littler will find difficult to emulate.

• 1994 – Dennis Priestley 6-1 Phil Taylor
• 1995 – Phil Taylor 6-2 Rod Harrington
• 1996 – Phil Taylor 6-4 Dennis Priestley
• 1997 – Phil Taylor 6-3 Dennis Priestley
• 1998 – Phil Taylor 6-0 Dennis Priestley
• 1999 – Phil Taylor 6-2 Peter Manley
• 2000 – Phil Taylor 7-3 Dennis Priestley
• 2001 – Phil Taylor 7-0 John Part
• 2002 – Phil Taylor 7-0 Peter Manley
• 2003 – John Part 7-6 Phil Taylor
• 2004 – Phil Taylor 7-6 Kevin Painter
• 2005 – Phil Taylor 7-4 Mark Dudbridge
• 2006 – Phil Taylor 7-0 Peter Manley
• 2007 – Raymond van Barneveld 7-6 Phil Taylor
• 2008 – John Part 7-2 Kirk Shepherd
• 2009 – Phil Taylor 7-1 Raymond van Barneveld
• 2010 – Phil Taylor 7-3 Simon Whitlock
• 2011 – Adrian Lewis 7-5 Gary Anderson
• 2012 – Adrian Lewis 7-3 Andy Hamilton
• 2013 – Phil Taylor 7-4 Michael van Gerwen
• 2014 – Michael van Gerwen 7-4 Peter Wright
• 2015 – Gary Anderson 7-6 Phil Taylor
• 2016 – Gary Anderson 7-5 Adrian Lewis
• 2017 – Michael van Gerwen 7-3 Gary Anderson
• 2018 – Rob Cross 7-2 Phil Taylor
• 2019 – Michael van Gerwen 7-3 Michael Smith
• 2020 – Peter Wright 7-3 Michael van Gerwen
• 2021 – Gerwyn Price 7-3 Gary Anderson
• 2022 – Peter Wright 7-5 Michael Smith
• 2023 – Michael Smith 7-4 Michael van Gerwen
• 2024 – Luke Humphries 7-4 Luke Littler
• 2025 – Luke Littler 7-3 Michael van Gerwen

In fairness to Littler, he has insisted that he is unlikely to beat Taylor’s record of world titles. One of the biggest issues facing him is the depth of talent in the modern era.

For example, 2023 world champion Michael Smith is currently ranked 28th by the PDC. However, he is perfectly capable of winning another title.

Taylor’s dominance was initially built during a period where potential world title winners were a little thin on the ground, but the landscape changed during the second half of his career.

While he continued to win titles at a staggering rate, the depth of quality in major tournaments ultimately made his task more difficult.

Taylor’s achievements must be measured in the context of the wider impact he had on darts, with his exploits helping the sport cross firmly into the mainstream.

Littler would probably never have become a household name had Taylor not gone before him. Matching that legacy is an impossible ask.

Comparing players from different eras in sport tends to be an exercise in futility. Where Taylor and Littler are concerned, the comparisons are even more senseless.