Revealed: How unrecognisable Michael van Gerwen, 35, looked when he was the same age as 17-year-old Luke Littler
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Teen sensation Luke Littler has reached sporting heights at the age of 17 that few achieve in their entire career. But his opponent in tonight's World Darts Championship final, Michael van Gerwen, was also a hotshot at the same age, even if a recently-circulated photo has reminded fans that he looked completely unrecognisable as a young gun.
![[MVG boasted spiky blonde hair in those days - seven years before his first world title]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/03/18/93719167-14248007-image-a-5_1735928662439.jpg)
Littler and his Dutch adversary face off in a clash of the titans tonight after three weeks of exhilirating action on the oche at Alexandra Palace in north London. 'The Nuke' won the Premier League in a breakthrough 2024 and has continued his form at the World Championships, averaging a record-breaking 140.91 in the final set against Ryan Meikle, before sweeping aside Ian White, Ryan Joyce, Nathan Aspinall and Stephen Bunting.
![[Van Gerwen meets Littler in tonight's World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/03/18/93718891-14248007-image-a-1_1735927778550.jpg)
'Mighty' van Gerwen had a rare trophy-less year in 2024 but has been putting that right at Ally Pally with a flawless run, culminating in a dominant 6-1 win in the semi-final against in-form Chris Dobey. Things have changed in the 18 years since the Dutchman was Littler's age, not least the loss of his spiky, blonde locks.
![[van Gerwen has played down the difficulty of Littler's route to the world darts final]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/03/13/93707655-0-image-a-27_1735910695864.jpg)
Michael van Gerwen looked a little bit different when he was a young gun in 2007. MVG boasted spiky blonde hair in those days - seven years before his first world title. Van Gerwen meets Littler in tonight's World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace. A remarkable picture has now emerged of a 17-year-old MVG dating back to his appearance at the International Darts League in Nijmegen and fans have reacted in shock.
![[Littler is confident of winning the lot this year after thrashing Stephen Bunting 6-1 in the semis]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/03/18/93709743-14248007-Littler_is_confident_that_he_can_go_one_better_than_last_year_af-a-2_1735927907184.jpg)
