Gian van Veen has revealed the five-player darts football team he’d trust the most, with Luke Littler earning a place in midfield while the Dutch star confidently backed himself to lead the line.
Van Veen and Littler shared the biggest stage in darts earlier this year when they met in the World Darts Championship final, but the Dutchman would happily have the teenage sensation on his side in a football match.
Speaking to SunSport ahead of the US Darts Masters at Madison Square Garden in New York, the world No. 3 selected a squad featuring two Dutchmen and three English stars.
Standing between the posts is fellow Dutchman Wessel Nijman, whose towering frame makes him Van Veen’s ideal goalkeeper.
“I’ll go Wessel Nijman in goal,” Van Veen said. “He’s quite tall, so I think that might work.”
His defence consists of Luke Humphries and Nathan Aspinall, with Van Veen believing Humphries has the energy needed at the back.
“For defenders, I’ll put Luke Humphries—I think he’s quite energetic—and I’ll get Nathan Aspinall in there as well.”
Littler, meanwhile, slots into midfield after impressing Van Veen with his ability on a football pitch.
“I’ve seen Luke Littler strike a ball a couple of times, so I’ll probably put him in midfield.”
As for the striker’s role, Van Veen had no hesitation in picking himself.
“And I’ll put myself up front because that’s what I was when I was a kid.”
Away from the oche, the 24-year-old has been following the FIFA World Cup closely and remains as passionate about football as ever. Having joined the famous sea of orange supporters during the Netherlands’ fan march at Euro 2024, Van Veen admitted he has been glued to the tournament despite competing in North America.
When asked whether he would rather become PDC world champion or watch the Netherlands lift football’s biggest prize, his answer was immediate.
“Myself, 100 per cent,” he said. “I’m a sportsman, so I want to win the World Championship title myself.
“I came close this year. Hopefully the Netherlands can get really close as well, and who knows, maybe they can do it in the final.”
While optimistic, Van Veen knows the road ahead will not be easy.
“I think it’s going to be difficult. After the first game my hopes were very high, and then beating Sweden 5-1 made me think we were looking really good.
“Tunisia is just a free roll because we’re already through. We just need to win that game, finish top of the group, and then it’ll probably be Morocco or Brazil. As long as we win that game, I’ll be happy.”
Despite supporting his homeland, Van Veen believes another European powerhouse is the team to beat.
“From what I’ve seen so far, I think France are going to win it this year.”
Although tournament commitments have prevented him from attending matches in person, the Dutchman has barely missed a kick.
“I’m a massive football fan—or soccer as they call it here,” he said. “I’ve watched nearly every game so far.
“Everyone has seen the Dutch fans marching behind the bus, jumping around from side to side. They’re crazy. I was part of that march at the Euros in Germany two years ago.
“It was fantastic to experience, and it’s great that our small country is represented so well around the world.”
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