Nathan Aspinall makes retirement admission after Luke Littler pushed back on claim
Nathan Aspinall has explained the exact age that he believes he will walk away from darts after giving his thoughts on teenage sensation Luke Littler and his future in the sport
Nathan Aspinall has revealed his retirement plans after suggesting that he plans to walk away from the oche at 45. The Stockport star, who is currently 33 and sits ninth in the PDC's Order of Merit with a cool £496,000 in earnings over the last two years, still has ample time to add to his trophy cabinet and boost his bank balance before hanging up his darts.
Speaking to SportsBoom, Aspinall shared his future plans, saying: "45, and I'm off. I've said to my partner if that's me, it is 45.
"If it's earlier than that, and we start making golfers' money and I've got 30 million in the bank - happy days, I'll be off sooner. But I don't think it's going to happen that quick. But yes, 45 is when I'd like to bugger off."
With his 34th birthday just around the corner in July, Aspinall has over a decade left to chase his dream of winning the PDC World Championship, having narrowly missed out on the title twice already. Aspinall's track record includes reaching the semi-finals of the prestigious tournament in both 2019 and 2020, where he faced defeat to Michael Smith and Michael van Gerwen respectively.
Additionally, he has secured runner-up finishes at the Grand Slam of Darts, World Grand Prix, Premier League and World Series of Darts, proving his mettle as one of darts' top competitors. That's not to mention clinching the 2019 UK Open with a solid 11-5 victory over Rob Cross and bagging the 2023 World Matchplay title with an impressive 18-6 win against Jonny Clayton.
He's now gunning for his first Premier League triumph on Thursday night, as he prepares to take on the world's top-ranked player, Luke Humphries, in the semi-finals at the O2 in London, reports the Express. Should he emerge victorious, Aspinall will then go head-to-head with either Luke Littler or Gerwyn Price in the final.
It comes after Aspinall suggested that Littler might retire in about five years due to his early success, but the teenage darts sensation has dismissed any talk of hanging up his arrows soon. Littler said: "I don't know where he's got that from - don't worry, I'll be here in 10 years.
The Nuke, who etched his name into the history books by becoming the youngest-ever PDC World Championship winner at just 17 earlier this year, added: "It's crazy to even think about retiring. If I win 16 world titles like Phil [Taylor], I'll retire, but I'm not even thinking about retirement at the minute - the money is there to be won, especially the World Championship, but not only that.
"Everything has gone up. It is all about what you're feeling, and I'm sure I'll be here for a long time."
Littler, the reigning Premier League champion, is set to defend his title when he returns to the O2 on Thursday evening.
The 18-year-old has secured his place in the play-offs after topping the league table with a total of 27 victories and 10 defeats this season, and will be aiming to capitalise on his form to secure the grand prize of £275,000.