"If Littler continues at this level, there's every chance he eclipses that": Paul Nicholson sees Luke Littler beating 'remarkable' Michael van Gerwen record
PDCMonday, 29 June 2026 at 16:52
Luke Littler appears to be on course to surpass one of Michael van Gerwen’s most remarkable records. Former major champion Paul Nicholson believes the 19-year-old Englishman could even exceed Van Gerwen’s seven-year reign as world number one. At the same time, the Australian has also singled out Wessel Nijman as the breakout star of the season.
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According to the former Players Championship Finals champion, Littler’s exceptional performances in the biggest tournaments have put him in the perfect position to dominate the world rankings for years to come.
Littler took over the world number one spot on the PDC Order of Merit from Luke Humphries on 17 November and has remained there ever since. To break Van Gerwen’s record, "The Nuke" would need to hold onto top spot for more than another six years.
The young Englishman has already accumulated almost £2.95 million in prize money on the Order of Merit and is closing in on another historic milestone: becoming the first player ever to surpass £3 million in ranking prize money.
His 2026 campaign is already extraordinary. Littler has won the World Championship, World Masters, UK Open, Premier League Darts and World Cup of Darts.
That leaves only a handful of major televised events still to target this year: the World Matchplay, World Series of Darts Finals, World Grand Prix, European Championship, Grand Slam of Darts and Players Championship Finals. Should he win them all, he would complete an unprecedented clean sweep of every PDC televised major in a single calendar year.
Major-winning machine like Phil Taylor
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Nicholson named Littler his Player of the Year in his latest column with Sporting Life and believes the conversation surrounding the reigning world champion has shifted dramatically.
"It's difficult to look anywhere else.Luke Littler has almost become a Phil Taylor-style major machine. He's not trying to win every tournament on the calendar. Instead, he's peaking for the biggest occasions, collecting the biggest trophies and putting himself in a position to dominate the world rankings for years," he said.
Nicholson believes the discussion is no longer about what Littler has already achieved, but about which records he could still break.
"Everyone immediately compares players with Phil Taylor because most of the significant records belong to him, but there are others that are just as meaningful. Michael van Gerwen spent seven years as world number one. If Littler continues at this level, there's every chance he eclipses that.
"That becomes another chapter in the debate about where he eventually ranks among the greatest players we've ever seen."
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Remarkable Luke Littler.
Nicholson also highlighted Littler's mentality as one of his greatest strengths. "Luke almost treats darts like a computer game. Every season brings another level to complete. Last year he won the UK Open and the Premier League, so this year his objective becomes doing it again. Then it's defending another title. Then it's chasing another record.
"There is always another achievement to unlock, and I think that's one of the reasons his motivation never appears to dip. And currently he's obviously on course to complete a clean sweep of all the PDC majors in a calendar year."
Nicholson names Wessel Nijman as the breakout star of 2026
While Littler continues to set the benchmark, Nicholson believes Wessel Nijman has made the biggest leap forward of anyone this season.
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Nicholson described Nijman's tally of eight ranking titles before July as nothing short of remarkable, including two European Tour victories.
"If Littler has been the biggest name, Wessel Nijman has produced the biggest leap. Eight ranking titles before we've even reached July is extraordinary, including two on the European Tour.
Wessel Nijman has now firmly established himself inside the world’s top 16
"Think about that for a second. He's got six months to get two more and reach double figures in one season - a feat only previously managed by Phil Taylor, Michael van Gerwen, Peter Wright and Luke Littler. That's remarkable company to be keeping.
"What impresses me isn't simply the number of titles. It's where he's winning them. He conquered Göttingen. He mastered Slovakia in sweltering conditions in front of thousands of spectators. He's proving he can handle big stages, different venues and different environments.
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Nijman has great major chance
For a long time, Nicholson said there were questions over whether Nijman's floor form would translate to the television stage. Those doubts are now fading.
"The final question was always whether his floor form would translate to television. But by winning tournaments in front of bigger numbers than you get into the Winter Gardens means we can probably expect him to repeat this kind of form in the majors and get even stronger.
"The only unknown now is how he'll cope when British crowds inevitably get behind his opponent in the major televised events. Personally, I think he's got a great chance of winning a major before this year is over."
Nicholson also believes Nijman's performances have reignited debate about the current ranking system. "One thing Wessel Nijman has highlighted is something I've been saying for a while. He's exposed just how strange the world rankings can sometimes look.
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"Here's a player winning title after title, yet he's still looking up at players who've won far fewer tournaments over the last 12 months.
"This wouldn't happen in tennis, it wouldn't happen in golf, it wouldn't happen in anything, so why is it happening with us. That isn't a criticism of those players, because the rankings reward prize money rather than titles, but it does raise an interesting debate."
Samuel GillChief Content Officer
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of DartsNews.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy across professional darts coverage. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces, playing a central role in the development and daily operation of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has extensive experience in darts media and has been closely involved in coverage of the professional darts circuit for several years. Within the UK darts community, he is a recognised figure known for his consistent editorial output and ongoing reporting on major tournaments and developments across the PDC calendar.
In his current role, Samuel works closely with editors and writers to ensure content meets clear journalistic standards, with a focus on source verification, editorial consistency, and timely updates when new, confirmed information becomes available.
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- A great female line up this year, it would be nice to see Gemma win, but Beau is too good. Although the most important lady is missing....Lorraine Winstanley! You can't have a major tournament with out Lorraine Winstanley!! My dream is to see Lorraine hit a nine darter, run off the stage and out of the building with Dean.richieburnettrocks25-06-2026
- Laura looking fantastic and obviously has a hidden talent as a dart player. It was so nice to see her shock and joy of hitting that triple 20 I miss Laura, she was excellent and very knowledgeable regarding darts. Can you imagine that dozy wooden air head Emma Paton from SKY being able to do that, she'd hold the dart the wrong way round.richieburnettrocks25-06-2026
- Otherwise known as The Fishmedinabello24-06-2026
- No disrespect... but when folks are as good as Littler, they only play in the events that mean something... not the small events. MVG and Humpheries do the same.MrYnyslas197123-06-2026
- Read this Mr littler,and I hope you don't suffer as smith has. Still,now you pick when you want to play. I think the ££££s have kicked inrick6722-06-2026
- I understand that the darts diary is packed, but people do actually pay to watch. I suppose that the prize money,or title,is enough anymore. I actually feel sorry for the players who get called up as replacements,call me stupid,but if you're not considered good enough initially,then why compete?rick6720-06-2026
- What is he talking about? In loads of sports they have qualification as early rounds, look at any tennis slam or snooker majors.mikedarts12-06-2026
- Standard is better people saymedinabello11-06-2026
- I'm going to Bremen can't wait to experience these mega galas.medinabello11-06-2026
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