'Michael apologised to me straight away so don’t judge him too harshly' - Pero Ljubic speaks out on controversial 'pub player' comments by Van Gerwen

Despite his struggles since capturing a Tour Card, Pero Ljubic was on the big PDC stage recently, competing at the 2025 Poland Darts Masters on the World Series of Darts. After Ljubic held his own against Michael van Gerwen, many were left surprised by a controversial post-match outburst by the Dutchman.

“It wasn’t a good game at all. Pero needs to be happy that he won one leg. Pero is not a good player. Pero is a pub player — we all know that," said the three-time world champion after battling past Ljubic 6-4 in Gliwice. “I’m not harsh — he is a lovely man but when you throw treble 12 for treble 20 then you need to go back to the dartboard... I’m the one to blame. But I made Pero look good today. Pero won a few legs and it feels like his birthday!"

As mentioned, many were stunned by Van Gerwen's outburst. Ljubic himself however, is keen to play down the incident and stress that there is no lingering ill-will between him and Van Gerwen.

“Michael and I have known each other for a long time – we like to have a laugh. There was no bad intention behind his words," explains Ljubic in a post-Poland Darts Masters interview with Okiem Darta. "He was just frustrated with his own performance, and I understand that.”