Warrington Wolves star’s viral clip attracts MILLIONS of views as he discusses rapid rise and unique Sam Burgess relationship

Not many players are hailed as “world-class”, tipped for a Calvin Klein deal after just six first-team appearances and have gone viral online at the age of just 18.

Arron Lindop, Warrington Wolves’ precociously-talented teenager, was placed in that bracket after a remarkably lavish appraisal from head coach Sam Burgess.

The Wire are flying after successive statement away victories at St Helens and Wigan Warriors which have encouraged hopes of a first league title since 1955, though they were beaten last week by Hull KR.

Academy graduate Lindop, who turned 18 in March and only went full-time a few weeks ago, is playing his part in their dramatic rise.

After the recent victory over Wigan, during which Lindop scored twice, Burgess gushed about the imposing rookie’s potential in his post-match press conference.

“It’s been crazy to play in back-to-back wins at Saints and Wigan, especially the manner in which we beat them,” Lindop, a centre or winger who stands almost 6ft 3in, told Love Rugby League.

“This year I just aimed to make my debut and I didn’t have a clue I’d be here playing in these massive games. We’ve got so much pace in the team and did you see the stat about Matty Ashton’s speed in last week’s game?

“It was something crazy like 36 kilometres per hour and that’s almost Olympic standard. It feels like a dream for a homegrown boy like myself because I only finished college and went full-time at Warrington a few weeks ago.

“I’ve lived in the town and supported the club my whole life – I had a season ticket in the South Stand and now it’s me out there on the field.

“I’ve always admired Stefan Ratchford because of everything he’s achieved in the game, plus the lads who have come through such as Josh Thewlis and Connor Wrench.

“I grew up in Stockton Heath, played for Woolston and Latchford, and live in Grappenhall now. I’ve got two sisters, one younger and one older, and they support me massively along with my mum and dad.

“My parents have been there home and away since I was a child and I’m very appreciative of that, so it’s nice to repay them now for all those Sunday mornings stood out in the cold.

“My grandmother, Doreen Lindop, has worked for the club for many years, helping the overseas players, and is a bit of a legend.

“The club means everything to me and my family and I’m getting recognised around town a little bit more now, but I wouldn’t say I’m famous just yet!

“It’s nice to give the young kids my autographs when we do signing sessions at the captain’s run or after games. I know what it means to be a young fan because that was me growing up and going to the games with my mates.”

READ NEXT: 11 father-sons who played for the same rugby league club: Sinfield, Lam, McNamara..

TRANSFERS: Super League ins and outs for 2025: Every confirmed signing and departure

Calvin Klein sponsorship deal on the horizon?

Lindop, who joined the Wolves’ youth ranks aged 14, finished his BTEC Sport Coaching & Development at Priestley College a few weeks ago and went full-time with Warrington.

The former Bridgewater High School pupil was handed his debut by Burgess in the season-opener at Catalans Dragons in February.

Lindop has scored four tries in six appearances and, during the recent win at St Helens, Sky Sports were granted access behind the scenes with Burgess and Warrington.

A clip from the Wolves’ dressing room pre-match showed Burgess joking with Lindop that the club pay him too much as the youngster prepared to take to the field wearing Calvin Klein boxers.

“You play in Calvin Klein’s?” 🤣

Sam Burgess jokes about with Arron Lindop ahead of St Helens vs Warrington Wolves 🏉 pic.twitter.com/Lx5FRwzLLm

— Sky Sports Rugby League (@SkySportsRL) July 19, 2024

After the Wigan game, Burgess hailed Lindop as world-class and said Calvin Klein should be looking to sign him up.

The teenager, a confident but laid-back character, insisted: “I’m definitely nowhere near world-class yet and I still have a lot to improve on in my game.

“I didn’t actually see Sam’s comments until he mentioned them to me at training. To hear that from Sam was pretty amazing and has given me huge confidence because I admired him a lot growing up.

“The Calvin Klein link came when I wore a pair of Calvin underpants against Saints and Sam was mic’d up during the game on Sky Sports’ live coverage.

“He said ‘what are you doing wearing a pair of Calvins? We’re paying you too much money!’.

“He was laughing, the clip went viral on social media, with 1.6million views on Instagram, and it went pretty crazy. Having worn those underpants against Saints, I put them on again at Wigan last week.

“It worked because we won again and I scored twice, so they could be my lucky boxers now. I don’t know if Sam was joking or not but he said he was going to try and get a little link with Calvin.”

Arron Lindop one of 14 academy products to play for Warrington Wolves this season

Burgess has not been afraid to put his trust in youth this season.

A week before the Challenge Cup final, he handed debuts to Cai Taylor-Wray, Jake Thewlis, Nolan Tupaea and Ben Hartill.

Lindop, who has notched four tries in his six first-team games, explained: “As soon as Sam came to the club, he had full faith in the young lads coming through.

“He’s got a big squad and a lot of us are homegrown players who he trusts to perform. I’m very close to Cai, he’s one of my best mates and is an amazing player, and I went through Scholarship with him.

“Benny Hartill, Jake Thewlis and Nolan are all a year above me, but I played with them in Scholarship and Academy too.

“To now be playing with them at first-team level is very special and there is a lot of homegrown talent at Warrington now.

“It’s a next man up mentality so if someone gets injured then Sam expects the next man to be just as good. The aim now is to reach the Grand Final and win it – that would be unbelievable.

“Every year it’s said about Warrington ‘it’s always our year’ and I hate that saying! This year our only target now is to win the competition and getting to Old Trafford alone won’t really mean anything.

“We have to get there first and then we have to win it.”

READ NEXT: My Ultimate Team: Shaun Briscoe picks best 17 including Wigan Warriors, Hull FC, Hull KR icons