VAN VEEN REVEALS VAN GERWEN DIG
29/01/2026 By Aaron Nijjar
MICHAEL VAN GERWEN told Gian van Veen he got a “whoop on the a**” after being thrashed by Luke Littler at Ally Pally.
‘The Giant’ was dispatched 7-1 by Littler in the final of the World Championship earlier this month.
But by reaching the event showpiece, Van Veen leapfrogged Van Gerwen into the world’s top three and became the Dutch No.1 player.
Three-time world champ Van Gerwen showed zero sympathy to his compatriot following his failure to capture the Sid Waddell Trophy.
Van Veen told talkSPORT: “He only said that Littler gave me a whoop on the a** after the final.
“That’s the only thing he said.”
Van Veen brushed off the blunt comment, stressing his admiration for Van Gerwen, whose trophy cabinet includes 48 PDC major singles titles.
He added: “I’ve said it in interviews and he knows it as well – in my eyes he’s still the Dutch number one, even though I overtook him on the rankings.
“I’ve got quite a few titles to win to even come close to him. So I don’t look into that too much.”
World No.3 Van Veen is relishing the chance to potentially play with Van Gerwen and represent the Netherlands at the World Cup later this year.
He continued: “It would be such an honour. Of course, growing up as a Dutch darts player and if you ever have dreams about the World Cup, I always thought you need to be Dutch number two.
“Because Michael is always going to be number one. So, there’s only one spot up for grabs. That’s what I always thought.
“And yeah, to wear that shirt together with Michael would be such an honour with such a legend in the game and especially as a Dutchman.
“But last year I had a great time with Danny. If Michael decided not to play this year or maybe next year in the years to come, I’m always going to be proud to wear that shirt no matter who I play with, but especially with Danny of course.”
‘Mighty Mike’ has sat out three of the last four editions while managing his workload in a packed darts calendar.
Van Gerwen and Raymond van Barneveld went on to dominate the competition together and secure three national crowns.
Their victories came in 2014, 2017, and 2018, cementing their status as one of the sport’s greatest duos.
Image by Taylor Lanning.
