Luke Humphries has made a strong start to 2025, winning the World Masters and the opening night of the Premier League, but still insists he isn’t the best player in the game
World No.1 Luke Humphries has hailed Luke Littler as the best player in darts – but fans of the sport aren’t convinced.
Humphries was on fire on the opening night of the Premier League in Belfast, defeating Nathan Aspinall, Michael van Gerwen and Chris Dobey to win the £10,000 bonus. Meanwhile, Littler faced Van Gerwen in the quarter-finals, with the pair delivering one of the most electrifying matches ever seen in the tournament.
Despite being defeated 6-5, Littler notched up the second-highest losing average (113.91) in the Premier League’s 20-year history. Fresh from winning the World Masters last weekend, Humphries continued his hot streak, only to name Littler the sport’s standout player at present.
In a post-final press conference, he said (via Online Darts): “First of all, I don’t want to make it too much about him – it’s my night – but Luke is the best player in the world. We all know it, it’s not something that you want to fight. He’s the best player, he’s performing the best.”
Littler has had a tough start to the season, with quarter-final and semi-final exits in the early World Series events and a defeat to Jonny Clayton in the last eight of the Masters.
However, Humphries added: “He’s just been a bit unlucky. He’s got a target on his back, being the world champion. Everyone wants to beat him, and this will happen. This will happen over his career.
“But for me, I always know that I can compete with the best and you don’t get to [world] number one for nothing.”
However, some fans on social media disagreed with Humphries’ claim. One said: “Humphries is no. 1 for a reason, the best in the business.”
Another bluntly added: “This being real nice gets so annoying. We all watching the television mate, we aren’t stupid. We know what Luke’s the best player in the world. And it’s not Littler.”
A third weighed in, saying: “Mind games. We all know you are the best.” A fourth said: “Humphries simply does the right things in the right moments and plays what he needs to, even if it may not be as flashy. Which is why imo Humphries is still the best player we have right now.”
The Premier League continues in Glasgow on Thursday, February 13 as Dobey and Humphries face off in a repeat of the night one decider. Littler will aim to open his account against Cross in the opening match of the night, while Van Gerwen takes on Stephen Bunting and Aspinall faces Gerwyn Price