"Still think he comes across as a bit arrogant - but he can get away with it" - Ricardo Pietreczko further stokes the flames of Luke Littler rivalry

When Luke Littler and Ricardo Pietreczko crossed paths again at the 2025 Players Championship Finals, their meeting carried far more weight than a standard last-16 tie. Eighteen months after their fiery semi-final at the 2024 Belgian Darts Open, the English prodigy and the 31-year-old German renewed acquaintances in Minehead—along with the intrigue that comes with their shared history.

What followed was a contest that began as a genuine scrap before evolving into a statement performance. Pietreczko came out sharp, moving clear at 3–1 and 4–2, but everything changed after the second interval. Littler hit top gear at 5–5, conceded just a single leg from there, and powered into the quarter-finals with a commanding 10–6 victory. Yet the scoreline told only part of the story.

The tension between the two traces back to Wieze. In their Belgian Darts Open clash, Littler attempted a flamboyant 147 checkout—T19, tops, bull—while Pietreczko was waiting on 66. The teenager missed tops, but the fallout landed cleanly. A terse exchange at the handshake was followed by Pietreczko venting on Instagram: “I appreciated how he plays at his age, but I hope arrogance punishes him.”

Fast forward to Minehead, and Littler added fuel to the old fire with a finish straight out of the same playbook. At 7–5, he took out 121 via bull—T7—bull, a route as eye-catching as it was provocative. It echoed the creativity that Pietreczko had previously criticised—and it arrived at a pivotal moment in the match.

Afterward, the pair remained cordial on stage, but Littler didn’t shy away when speaking to the media. He claimed Pietreczko had tried to unsettle him with “mind games”, putting the spotlight firmly back on the German.

Asked about the episode months later at a PDC Europe press conference ahead of the 2026 PDC World Darts Championship, Pietreczko took the opportunity to calm the waters.

“I think it was made bigger by the media than it actually was,” he said, dismissing the idea of an ongoing feud.

He insisted the off-camera atmosphere had been light-hearted. “We were relaxed with each other and had fun backstage. I think you could also see that I had a lot of fun on stage.”

Pietreczko also addressed his comments during the second break in Minehead—remarks Littler had interpreted as needling. “I said, ‘I’m glad I survived the two sessions. I was just hoping to get one leg—now I’m standing here with five.’ It was meant as a joke, just the way I am. And Luke apparently took it differently.”

Still, Pietreczko didn’t completely gloss over his view of Littler’s demeanour. “As far as Luke’s demeanour is concerned, I still think he comes across as a bit arrogant. But the way he plays, he can get away with it sometimes.”

Even so, his response to the 121 bull finish was surprisingly magnanimous. Rather than revisiting his old frustrations, he leaned into admiration: “Of course you could have played that 121 differently, but I have to say: I celebrated it in that moment. He showed me again that he’s the boss out there.”

In the end, what remains is less a feud than a study in contrasts. Pietreczko wears his emotions openly and explains them freely; Littler lets his darts do most of the talking—then occasionally adds a verbal flourish. The truth sits somewhere between their perspectives.

But one thing is beyond doubt: whenever these two share a stage, the entertainment is guaranteed. And their next chapter is only a matter of time.