Freshly crowned world darts champion Luke Littler has revealed what Michael van Gerwen said to him immediately after their final clash.
On Friday night, all eyes were fixated on the Alexandra Palace, London as the final of the 2025 PDC World Darts Championship took place.
Teenage sensation Littler was looking to lift the Sid Waddell trophy for the first time as Van Gerwen searched for his fourth title.
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Despite many predicting a close final, Littler blasted to a 4-0 lead before eventually coming out on top with a 7-3 victory, making him the youngest player ever to win the title.
Speaking to talkSPORT afterwards, the 17-year-old revealed what Van Gerwen said to him after the final.
Littler said: "He said 'enjoy it', and then when we went over to the side he was like 'keep crying boy, keep crying'."
He added: "Yeah, obviously like he said he's 30 odd and I'm 17 but to break the record is crazy. If I didn't do it tonight, I've still got plenty of years to become the youngest (to win the world title) but to become the youngest and pick up my first, it's incredible."
Meanwhile, Van Gerwen said: "I come on 4-0 behind and I didn't do myself justice but that's the way it is. You need to try and fight and battle back but after coming back from 4-0 down I definitely was not the worst player out of us but fair play to him.
"Every moment he got to hurt me, he did. Don't get me wrong I had a lovely tournament. I've been battling my own game but that's how it was. You have to take it on the chin and take it as a champion."
He continued: "It hurts but that's how it should be. It is what it is. I just need to try and keep getting better. I'm an old b*****d compared to him. It is what it is. I need to take it on the chin, I wasn't sharp enough at the start of the game."
As a result of his stunning victory, Littler has now moved up to the number two spot in the world rankings.
Topics: Luke Littler, Michael van Gerwen, Darts, World Darts Championship
Marcus Chan