Stephen Bunting is considered by many to be one of the best darts players in the world.
The 39-year-old, who is currently ranked 16th in the Professional Darts Championship rankings, has garnered a large following through his social media activity.
While many of his 290,000 followers across TikTok and X are down to Dart and his personality, some, like Bunting, come from lesser known communities and share a love for collecting retro football stickers and cards.
“When I got the puck as a kid I was so excited,” Bunting told BBC Sport.
“I remember having a sticker book and always being interested in filling the book with stickers.
“I'm a huge Liverpool fan so I was really intrigued by the Liverpool cards I was given as a kid, with the stadium and all the sparkly stuff and I think that's what got me hooked.”
Bunting's love of football stickers and cards was recently rekindled after he discovered the TikTok channel “Paolo Panini”, run by Ollie Jenks.
Jenks' channel features regular live streams where viewers can purchase unopened packs from the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s and 2000s and watch him open them live.
“I'll be honest, I was scrolling through TikTok channels looking for something to entertain me when I was bored and I came across Paolo's channel,” Bunting explained.
“It reminded me of being a kid and I was instantly obsessed. I remember posting a comment on chat and him asking, 'Is that the real Stephen Bunting?' and I realised it was the real deal. We've become really good friends since then.”
“He's pretty mad, pretty crazy,” Jenks, who has become a regular follower of Bunting's live streams, said of him.
“Ex-footballers and the like sometimes comment on the videos, but having someone appear on a live stream is kind of a 'Bunting mentality'.
“I think [of] Stephen's online personality is also very unique, as can be seen from the videos on his TikTok channel, and people can relate to him.
“He's a normal guy, so when people see him as one of the regulars, watching the game with everyone else, it feels really idyllic and it gives them a really lovely, warm feeling.”
Bunting, who has rediscovered his love of football stickers and cards and has spent thousands of pounds on them, is affectionately known as “King of the Pack” by Mr Jenks and viewers.
It was a recognition of his talent for finding rare and valuable cards.
Bunting explained the excitement of the viewing sessions: “When a big name player comes on, you get excited – you can hear it in Ollie's voice and in the chat room. When you hit the big cards it feels special and when you become known as the Puck King, you've got to keep it up, right?”
“It's been amazing to be honest. People have been saying in chat 'good luck with Bunting Mental' and I think I've gained a lot of new followers from people who didn't know me as a darts player.”
“My following is great at the moment. I'm trying to do everything I can on TikTok and on social media to show that I'm a normal person.”
What began as a kid swapping stickers at Exeter's West Point Arena in the late 1990s has become a full-time job for Torquay-based Jenks, who now has 155,000 followers on his TikTok channel.
The popularity of the channel, which began as a podcast, has given Jenks the opportunity to watch this season's Europa League final, work with clubs such as West Ham United and take part in a charity match of Wigan Athletic legends, where he opened a classic pack alongside Bunting.
“I've always wanted to work in football but never thought it would happen like this,” said Jenks, who was a fast-food manager and lived in Asia before joining the football sticker industry.
“I'm back [to England] I started the podcast just before COVID and that changed everything.
“There has always been, and I hope will continue to be, opportunities opened up through opening packs throughout football history. We're like the Antiques Roadshow of football and that's what I want with streaming and we want to achieve that.”
“It has completely changed the trajectory of my work. I never expected it to end up like this.”
Jenks' ambitions are to host more live in-person shows and travel around the country to unearth more football stories.
Alongside his darts career, which saw him win his first PDC major title earlier this year, Bunting is hoping to build up his sticker collection and pass it on to his son, Toby.
Bunting's collection also includes a sticker of Franz Beckenbauer, captain of West Germany's 1974 World Cup victory, which was included in the 1978 Panini World Cup album and which until recently had remained hidden in a pack for 46 years, and he also recently unearthed the world's only autographed card of Liverpool's Harvey Elliott.
“I think I've got a really nice collection now and Ollie will be happy to know I'll be adding to it,” Bunting said.
“My wife isn't too happy about it because there are boxes piled up in the garage. I wouldn't say I'm addicted to it, but I really enjoy it. It's a great hobby and if you want to make money from it, there's a lot of money out there.”
“For me, it's not about that. It's about passing it on to my son and future generations.”
But has the thought ever crossed Bunting's mind of having some spare cash to buy more packs after a successful tournament?
“I wouldn't say a little, but we're giving it a lot of thought,” Bunting said.
“Back in my hotel room, it's time to relax, so I'll watch the pucks on the channel and try to get as many pucks as I can and get some legendaries.”
