Luke Littler successfully defended his PDC World Darts Championship title with a 7-1 drubbing of Gian van Veen, but his road to glory at Alexandra Palace wasn’t without its setbacks.
Luke Littler has thanked darts fans for their support at the PDC World Championship – despite a cagey interaction at Alexandra Palace which saw him verbally lash out at jeering spectators. ‘The Nuke’ got the better of Gian van Veen 7-1 to defend his prestigious title on Saturday evening, becoming the first player to win back-to-back titles at the worlds since Gary Anderson achieved the feat a decade ago.
However, Littler’s road to glory wasn’t without its fair share of ups and downs. After getting the better of Darius Labanauskus, David Davies and Mensur Suljovic in the early rounds, the 18-year-old – who only turns 19 later this month – received a frosty reception as he stepped up to the oche to take on Rob Cross to fight for a place in the quarter-finals.
Despite a chorus of “walking in a Littler wonderland,” initially ringing out, the crowd inside Ally Pally started to voice their support of ‘Voltage’ as Littler played up to jeers and boos. Emotions ran high as Littler clinched a 4-2 win, telling fans in the aftermath: “I’m not bothered…
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“Really, I’m not bothered. I’m really not bothered. Can I just say one thing? You guys pay for tickets [and so] you’re paying for my prize money, thank you, thank you for my money. Thank you for booing me. Thank you.”
As a result of his comments, Littler received a wave of backlash from his peers – with James Hubbard telling him to “behave like” a World No.1. However, it now appears as though Littler has U-turned on his approach earlier in the tournament, taking to social media to thank fans for their support after lifting his second World Championship on Saturday night.
Taking to social media platform Instagram, Littler said: “Hi everyone. Wow, thanks for all your support from the very first game of this World Championship, and we’ve done it. Without your support, I couldn’t have gone back-to-back world champion and add my name to that very short list.
“Thank you to everyone on all social platforms, it means a lot to me. And yeah, we go again soon and thanks for all your support. Have a good New Year.”
Elsewhere, Littler also received a wealth of further support from his friends, family, fellow athletes and celebrities alike – sharing messages of congratulations to the stories section of his account. Eddie Hearn, wrote: “Back to back World Championships, £1m first prize but more importantly true greatness! 18-years-old.”
YouTuber KSI also added: “Congrats bro. BACK TO BACK BABY,” while The United Strand joked: “Well done mate! @lukethenukelittler. Not cutting my hair until Luke Littler wins 5 World Championships in a row!”
Speaking after his night under the bright lights of Alexandra Palace on Saturday, Littler said: “It feels amazing. First of all, I’ve got to say thank you to (Master of Ceremonies) John McDonald and (referee) George Noble – what fantastic careers they have had.
“Everyone knows what happened with Anthony Joshua and his team, rest in peace to his friends, just like AJ said… the first time was so nice, I had to do it twice.
“I wasn’t happy going into the break 1-0 down, but I had to kick on from there. I said just give it time, you’ll find it. It all came to plan. Gian, what a tournament, he can be very happy for himself.”
While Littler pocketed a mouth-watering £1million payday as a result of winning the PDC World Championship, the youngster is set to see a hefty tax bill on his winnings. According to tax expert Nicole Zalys, founder of The London Accountant, he is set to be taxed at the top rate of 45 per cent as a result of a significant income already earned in 2025. This means that he could be slapped with a tax bill of around £450,000 on his winnings.
