Michael van Gerwen issues unexpected statement to Littler and Van Veen | Other | Sport

It was Anderson who Van Veen beat in the semi-final to book his place in the showpiece game against Littler.  Posting on his social media account, Van Gerwen said: “Tonight, two exceptional talents step onto the biggest stage of our sport.

“Luke, the chance to go back-to-back as World Champion is something very few ever get to experience. Respect for what you’ve already achieved and for how you carry yourself at such a young age.

“Gian, watching you grow into the player you are today makes me incredibly proud. If the next Dutch World Champion carries your name, the future of our sport at home is in very good hands.

“Enjoy every second of it, stay true to yourselves, and let the darts do the talking. The stage is yours. Good luck to you both.”

The winner of the final is not only crowned as world champion, but is also awarded with a record prize pot of £1 million. The runner up gets £500,000. 

Littler goes into the game as favourite, having breezed through the latter stages of the competition. The 18-year-old came out as 6-1 winner of Ryan Searle in his semi-final on Friday night.  The two players have previously faced each other in the World Youth Championship with Littler coming out victorious on that ocassion. 

Ahead of the match, Littler has one thing in mind. “It feels good to reach the final, I’ve joined another short list of names of players who have had back-to-back-to-back finals,” he said. 

“Now, the only goal is to join the list of people who are back-to-back World Champions. I’ve got every right to think I can do it, but I never, ever say that I am going to win it. We will just see how the darts go.

“This is my third time here, I know how to win. A 105 average against Ryan is good, but I think we can up it a bit more in the final.”