Luke Littler was back in Germany last night, but not for a darts match. The 19-year-old sensation attended the Sport Bild ceremony in Germany to receive an award for becoming the youngest world champion. The honour comes after months of hostile crowds in the country, making it a symbolic peace offering from German fans.
Littler, a two-time world champion, collected the award and used the occasion to reiterate his focus on titles over money. He becomes the first player to hit the £3 million mark on the PDC Order of Merit, currently sitting on £3,125,500, leading Luke Humphries by over £1 million. Despite the financial milestone, Littler told Bild: "It’s darts, you are on your own against everyone. What keeps me going is just titles. I always see it’s about the money, it’s about the money. It is about the titles."
The 19-year-old, who last appeared in Germany when winning the World Cup of Darts for England alongside Luke Humphries, shared his night on Instagram with the caption: "Day trip to Germany for the @sport_bild awards class night thanks for having us." His visit comes after his back-to-back World Championship triumphs at Ally Pally, earning £1 million for lifting the Sid Waddell trophy last time out.
Littler has now collected 14 major titles, with only Phil Taylor and Michael van Gerwen ahead of him. The European Championship is the only major he has yet to win, having taken the Premier League Darts, World Matchplay, and Grand Slam of Darts twice each. He remains focused on surpassing Taylor's record of 16 world titles, saying: "Look at what Phil Taylor achieved over many years. I’m still only 19 so hopefully within the next 30 years, if I can be bothered, then I’ll break some more records. I have just got to keep going."
With the World Series of Darts Finals, World Grand Prix, European Championship, Grand Slam of Darts, and possibly the Players Championship Finals ahead, Littler is aiming for a historic clean sweep. Reflecting on his World Championship record, he added: "I have been to the World Championship three times. I’ve lost one and then I’ve been back-to-back. So I have a very good record but we just have to wait till Christmas, then the party starts."