‘I was always about the money’ – Phil Taylor reveals HUGE difference between himself and Luke Littler

PHIL TAYLOR has revealed the huge difference between himself and Luke Littler – admitting he was “always about the money” after juggling THREE jobs to pay his mortgage. The 16-time world champion believes Littler’s extraordinary success has been helped by the fact the 19-year-old is motivated by winning rather than worrying about the enormous riches now on offer in darts. Phil Taylor is a 16-time world champion Credit: PA:Press Association Taylor says that Luke Littler is not motivated by money Credit: GETTY Taylor told SunSport: “Luke is very laid-back and quiet. When he’s been with me, he’s been very quiet. I was with him this week. He is very talented and just very naturally talented. Nothing fazes him. “But the one attribute he’s got for me, he isn’t bothered about the money. The money’s a bonus for him. I was always about the money when I first started because I had children and I had a mortgage to pay. Sign up for the Sport newsletter Thank you! “Even though it (the mortgage) was only 20 quid a month, that was like a fortune for me. So once I got the money, then I could play with freedom of mind. I wasn’t playing for money anymore.” Taylor went on to become the most successful world champion in darts history, but his journey began a world away from the riches Littler has earned since exploding onto the professional scene. The Power worked several jobs as a young man before darts eventually transformed his life. He said: “My first house was a terraced house, similar to what you see on Coronation Street. And it was £7,500. “And I thought ‘what have I done? Why did I sign for that?’ I thought ‘oh no, I’ve got a mortgage.’ So then you’ve got to get out and work. “I had three jobs at the time. I was working on a factory, then I was repairing cars, and then I worked behind a bar. Most read in Sport SUN VEGAS WELCOME OFFER: GET UP TO £100 BONUS List of all-time Darts World Champions BELOW is a list of darts world champions by year. The list does not include winners from the pre-Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) era or BDO world champions. That means Raymond van Barneveld, for example, is only listed once – Barney also won four BDO titles – and none of Eric Bristow’s five BDO titles are included. 1994 – Dennis Priestley 1995 – Phil Taylor 1996 – Phil Taylor (2) 1997 – Phil Taylor (3) 1998 – Phil Taylor (4) 1999 – Phil Taylor (5) 2000 – Phil Taylor (6) 2001 – Phil Taylor (7) 2002 – Phil Taylor (8) 2003 – John Part 2004 – Phil Taylor (9) 2005 – Phil Taylor (10) 2006 – Phil Taylor (11) 2007 – Raymond van Barneveld 2008 – John Part (2) 2009 – Phil Taylor (12) 2010 – Phil Taylor (13) 2011 – Adrian Lewis 2012 – Adrian Lewis (2) 2013 – Phil Taylor (14) 2014 – Michael van Gerwen 2015 – Gary Anderson 2016 – Gary Anderson (2) 2017 – Michael van Gerwen (2) 2018 – Rob Cross 2019 – Michael van Gerwen (3) 2020 – Peter Wright 2021 – Gerwyn Price 2022 – Peter Wright (2) 2023 – Michael Smith 2024 – Luke Humphries 2025 – Luke Littler 2026 – Luke Littler (2) Most World Titles 14 – Phil Taylor 3 – Michael van Gerwen 2 – John Part, Adrian Lewis, Gary Anderson, Peter Wright, Luke Littler 1 – Dennis Priestley, Raymond van Barneveld, Rob Cross, Gerwyn Price, Michael Smith, Luke Humphries “Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday. For four days behind a bar, it was 22 quid. So that was the mortgage paid for. “But that makes you dedicated. I was very, very, very dedicated. The reason being was I wanted to earn a living and look after my family.” Taylor was speaking while helping to judge hopefuls bidding to face Littler on Netflix’s Beat Luke Littler. Twenty amateur players will take on the world No1 in a single leg of 501 when the show is broadcast live on October 30. A staggering £501,000 up for grabs for anyone who can defeat The Nuke. The Manchester Central Convention Complex is the stage for the show, which will be hosted by Gary Lineker with expert analysis from Richard Osman. Comment now