Luke Littler has claimed he is 'living rent free' in the head of one of his darts rivals.
Littler won Players Championship 32 last week to seal his place in the Players Championship Finals event, which takes place next month.
This week, he competes in the European Championship in Dortmund, Germany, where the winner receives ÂŁ120,000.
The reigning world champion has previously been critical towards German fans and their hostility towards him during matches.
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But he has now ignited a potential war of words with Germany's top darts star, Martin Schindler.
Schindler lost 6-5 in legs to Dutch player Dirk van Duijvenbode in the last 16 of the European Tour 14 event on Sunday.
Earlier in the day, he produced a comeback win to defeat William O'Connor 6-4, having been 4-1 down.
Speaking to Dartsnews.de after the match, Schindler said: "He started very, very well. I took the first leg, and then there wasn't much coming from me for a while.
"He was absolutely ruthless - three legs in a row with 180s, 140s. You're just chasing shadows at that point.
"But I knew he couldn't maintain that level for the whole match - not even Luke Littler could - and he didn't."
While some fans suggested that Schindler's comment was simply be a compliment towards Littler's peak performance levels compared to other players, it was unclear as to whether the 18-year-old felt the same way.
In an Instagram story, Littler wrote alongside two emojis: "Living rent free up there in that head."
The pair have only faced each other twice in the PDC since Littler earned his full-time tour card for the 2024 season onwards.
Littler has won both of the matches between them, securing a 10-8 victory at the 2024 UK Open.
Last month, he beat Schindler 6-2 during a European Tour event, averaging 99 while hitting four 180s during the clash.
Schindler has not yet responded to Littler's comments, instead writing after his defeat to Van Duijvenbode: "Absolutely bad. Next week it continues."
Topics:Â Luke Littler, Darts
Ryan Smart