Humphries ended the Warrington teenager's dream by winning the World Championship at Alexandra Palace on Wednesday night as he celebrated becoming world number one by lifting the Sid Waddell Trophy for the first time.
Littler, 16, was the star of the tournament, though, and his time will surely come after showing he can already mix it with the very best in the sport.
But it is Humphries who is the current king, having won four of the last five major titles, and he expects the two Lukes to be at the top of the pile.
"It is a final I would be very shocked not to see again," he said. "Not just in world finals, in major finals, we will see that final many, many times over the next 20 years.
"Darts can throw up anything, who knows what talent can come through and all of a sudden be better than us?
"I don't think we will see a talent as good as Luke at 16 ever again in any sport.
This story is from the January 05, 2024 edition of Manchester Evening News.
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This story is from the January 05, 2024 edition of Manchester Evening News.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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