Despite his meteoric rise in the world of darts, Luke Littler has been told he’s not yet the best player on the planet by fellow professional Gary Anderson. The young prodigy, who made a stunning debut at the 2024 World Championships, has since claimed numerous titles including the UK Open, the World Matchplay, the World Grand Prix and the Premier League.
However, despite his impressive haul, Littler still finds himself second in the global rankings behind Luke Humphries, who has amassed a staggering £1,769,000 in prize money over the past year. Littler is just behind with earnings of £1,697,000 – a gap that could potentially close ahead of this year’s world championships.
When asked who he thought was the best player in the world, Anderson didn’t hesitate. During a Q&A session with Darts Corner, he stated: “That’s easy, you just go by world No 1 that’s Luke Humphries.”
When questioned about the top player in Europe outside of the UK, Anderson named Michael van Gerwen.
Littler, while perhaps disappointed not to be considered the world’s best, seems to agree with Anderson’s assessment. After his Grand Prix victory, he said: “This is my time and I’ve got just got to keep going. Obviously, until I get that world number one spot, I will never call myself the best in the world. Whoever’s number one, they’re the best.
“But knowing I’m only £70,000 in prize money behind Luke, and then he’s got to defend all of his prize money from the Grand Prix, the Players Championships and the World Championship.
“I don’t want to think about it too much, but I could be world number one before that World Championship. I’ve just got to keep chucking away and put as much pressure as I can on Luke.”
Littler has just over a month to build up steam before the upcoming world championship kicks off at the Alexandra Palace from December 15.
He enters the tournament having reached the final in both of the previous two competitions.
Nevertheless, he will remain in the dark about his potential rivals until later this month, with the final qualifying spots only being decided on November 24, and the draw anticipated shortly afterwards.