Luke Littler unexpectedly reached the World Championship final in darts in January this year. He lost - but won the love of the entire country.
The second place earned him the equivalent of 2.8 million kronor and since then, one lucrative sponsorship contract after another has rolled in. He has sat in TV sofas, toys with his profile colors are sold in toy stores, his face appears on dart packets and he has played football with the English coaching icon Sir Alex Ferguson.
He has also won ten dart tournaments during the year and earned nearly 14 million kronor.
Google also found out this week that Littler, from Runcorn outside Liverpool, is more searched for in the UK than both King Charles and the country's Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Littler has now turned 17 when a new World Championship begins in London on Sunday. He still lives with his parents, celebrates his victories with kebabs and spends his free time playing video games. But on social media, he now has over a million followers and a significantly larger bank account.
He is ranked fourth in the world.
It's still my first year. What I've done is incredible, but it's also a lot of work. There's still money to be earned and titles to be won, says Littler.
For darts' own promoter Barry Hearn, Littler is the best Christmas present he's ever received. The sport has gotten a significant boost with him.
It's hard to buy Christmas presents for me. I'm old and have everything I need. Then someone gave me Luke Littler.
