Luke Littler has major obstacle between him and all-time record that Phil Taylor didn’t have

Legendary referee Russ Bray has insisted there is no way that Luke Littler will beat Phil Taylor’s world title record.

The 18-year-old became back-to-back champion at Alexandra Palace on Saturday, with a thumping 7-1 victory over Gian van Veen in the PDC World Championship final.

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After losing the first set, Littler then won seven in a row to blow his opponent away and pocket the £1million winner’s prize.

This saw the him continue his remarkable rise since bursting onto the scene with his run to the final at Ally Pally as a 16-year-old in 2024.

As well as his latest world title, Littler also holds the UK Open, World Matchplay, World Grand Prix, Grand Slam and the Players Championship titles.

‘Long way to go’

With youth on his side, the teenager has been widely tipped to surpass darts icon Taylor’s all-time record of 16 world titles.

‘The Power’ won 14 PDC world titles in his career, on top of his two BDO triumphs, and did not reach his first world championship final until the age of 29 in 1990.

And after his dominant victory over Van Veen, Littler himself admitted he had Taylor in his sights.

When asked about the record, the 18-year-old said: “Obviously it’s so far away. 14 to go, another 15 or 16 years I’d say.

“If it happens it happens. I’ll be around for a very long time and I’m here to win.

“Obviously it’s something any dart player could do. Me being so young and already picking up two of these, it’s 14 to go.

“It’s a long way to go but who knows if I could reach it? If I get five or six I’d be happy.”

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Bray: Littler won’t dominate like Taylor

While many would bet good money on Littler overtaking Taylor in the record books, iconic referee Bray believes one factor will prevent this from happening.

Speaking on Monday’s talkSPORT Breakfast, the popular figure claimed the huge talent pool in darts will prevent Littler from dominating in the same way, citing his competition on the PDC tour.

Asked if ‘The Nuke’ could surpass Taylor, Bray replied: “We had that with Phil for so many years, where he dominated the field. 

“I don’t think this will happen, and I really, really don’t, because there’s so many good players in depth now. 

“When you look at Gian van Veen, Josh Rock, Luke Humphries, of course – these guys, they’re still only youngsters as well, obviously not as young as Luke. And I don’t think he could dominate the same as Phil.

“Yes, he’s going to win titles left, right and centre, but at the end of the day, I think these guys, they’ve got a target to chase. 

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“Whereas early doors with Phil, you probably only had maybe one or two players that could even have a go at him. 

“Now you’ve got an whole field of them that can really crack into it.”

Quizzed on how many world titles Littler could realistically win, Bray insisted this will depend on the youngster’s motivation.

The 68-year-old, who retired from full-time refereeing in 2024 said: “For as long as he wants to do it at the moment.

“Do you get the desire once you’ve got the fortunes, the money and the bank? Do you want to get up at 9 o’clock or 8 o’clock in the morning, get on a plane, travel to somewhere in the world and then come back, and then practice and all that?

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“It’s for as long as he wants that desire. I’m sure he’s going to have that for a good few years, but he won’t break Phil Taylor’s record. 

“Never in a month of Sundays, he’s not going to do that.”