Littler’s story is now well known. The English teenager has been known as a generational talent for years and made his debut at the PDC World Cup this month. And immediately ‘The Nuke’ reached the 1/8th finals after a sensational opener with an average of 106 and two excellent matches against experienced players Andrew Gilding and Matt Campbell.
In England they are already dreaming of a new Phil Taylor, the man with sixteen world titles to his name and therefore the absolute GOAT of darts. ‘The Power’ is a well-known supporter of Littler and firmly believes in a golden future for the Englishman who always eats a kebab after a victory. If he wins a world title, Littler can even prepare himself for free kebab for the rest of his life. A promise from a kebab chain in London.
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“He can really beat anyone if he plays his game,” said Sky Sports analyst Dan Dawson. “Especially if Luke can enjoy himself on stage and play freely… Then he can really make mincemeat of any opponent. I’m still not sure if this will be his year yet, but it is so fantastic to follow.”
“The most obvious comparison is Michael van Gerwen, who was so good at such a young age. It’s just freakish what Luke is doing at his age. He has always performed, but there was always the question: what if he comes against the big boys? Well, here’s the answer. Recently, someone who has been in darts for decades said that he expects Littler to win four tournaments next year. That’s an insane prediction. If he does that, then we really have a type like Van Gerwen. But don’t forget that it also took a few years to really break through. There is still a long way to go, but this is a fantastic start.”
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1967 – 2007
But, but, but… Raymond van Barneveld is not just someone you put aside, of course. ‘Barney’ may already be 56 years old, but he is in a fourth round for the first time in six years. Not that the Dutchman throws that great, but victories did follow. According to fellow countryman Michael van Gerwen, Van Barneveld will “demolish” Littler for a while, but the five-time world champion himself has a lot of respect for the super talent.
“I enjoy that boy. Truly formidable. He is 16 years old. When I was 16, I still played with Playmobil, haha! I have a tremendous amount of respect for that guy and I can’t wait to play against him. What I think is great class and really neat is that he does it for the first time on the big stage – in front of an audience of millions. He is on various TV broadcasts, camera crews come to the players’ hotel especially for him… There is so much pressure. And then just win three pots at the World Cup. Of course I think that is quality. I saw this boy playing darts on such a magnetic board from the age of five.”
Littler himself is already looking forward to the clash with the legend from The Hague. “When I was three years old I imitated Van Barneveld who won the World Cup in 2007. Thirteen years later I get to play against this legend on the biggest stage there is,” the Englishman sent to the world via X.
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It is a real clash of generations. When Van Barneveld won his last world title – in 2007 – Littler had yet to be born. That happened twenty days later. No one could have predicted at the time that the two would face each other at the World Cup on Saturday.
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However, Van Barneveld is full of self-confidence and firmly believes in his chances.
“The word ‘lose’ hasn’t occurred to me in recent weeks. That was a really long time ago. I’m not going to say I’m going to lift that cup, that’s just not appropriate, but I feel absolutely crazy. A Van Barneveld in shape, with a good mind, can go far here. When we start that match, I’m not going to worry about how that guy is hyped. I always play against the board, not against an opponent, because you have no influence on that. A big advantage is that it throws nice and fast. I love that. But I’m not afraid of a Van Gerwen, not of a Humphries, just like I wasn’t afraid of a Taylor. So not for Luke Littler either. There will be some respect on both sides and the audience will have influence. They love the ‘Barney Army’, but I can also imagine that they find such a 16-year-old monkey very interesting and would like to see it continue,” says the iconic darts player.
Several cave names have already been dropped. “This is the World Cup, anything can happen. Look at Peter Wright and Gerwyn Price. I don’t care about who I play against, I don’t care about that. I have all the respect for Luke, great what he is doing, but I have also watched his previous matches. In which he also missed crucial doubles and took advantage of the opposition’s misses. I’m not going to miss any doubles, I promise, even though everyone probably wants me to lose (laughs). We already had a Queen of the Palace (Fallon Sherrock, ed.), now you have the Prince of the Palace. Well, I hope to stop your prince.”
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