There have been plenty of great players in the history of darts, but very few have made their sport look as easy as Michael van Gerwen did at his best. For seven consecutive years, the Dutchman stood as the number one player in the world, a period of domination that only the legendary Phil Taylor has been able to surpass.
Van Gerwen’s dominance was built on a combination of relentless scoring, rapid finishing and an ability to maintain a high level of performance under pressure. At his peak, which fell between 2014 and 2019, he established himself as the defining player of his generation and produced some of the greatest performances darts had ever seen.
Early Years
Michael van Gerwen was born in Boxtel in the Netherlands in 1989. Although he started out playing football, something he concedes he was not really built for, his attention soon turned to darts as he looked to keep himself occupied in the winter.
Spotting his talent, Van Gerwen’s dad organised a local youth tournament, and he witnessed his son finish in third place. Michael was so delighted with his performance that his obsession with darts began, and he started playing every day. Evidently a quick learner, by the time he was 15, he was European youth champion. He continued to play darts across the globe as a youngster, winning the World Masters in 2006 aged just 17, the youngest ever champion of the event.
Van Gerwen juggled his darts commitments alongside being a part-time tiler. The story that he tiled Dennis Bergkamp’s bathroom is sadly not true, however. This is not a side-gig he had to maintain for long, though, as his darts career would very soon become a full-time pursuit.
Making a Name for Himself
_-_Sven_-_1D_X_MK_II_-_0504_-_B70I6980.jpg){kind=link}
The Dutchman switched to the PDC in 2007, but his progress was not immediate. Van Gerwen struggled to reproduce his best form against the established stars and spent several years trying to find his place on the professional circuit. His patience was eventually rewarded though, as in 2012, he won his first PDC major at the World Grand Prix, beating Mervyn King in the final.
A few months later, he came close to completing an even bigger breakthrough. Van Gerwen reached the 2013 World Championship final, where he faced Phil Taylor. He came into the event as the second favourite and almost threw back-to-back nine-darters in the semi. However, he could not turn it on in the same way in the final and lost 7-4. The defeat did little to slow his momentum, mind you, as Van Gerwen got his revenge by beating Taylor in the 2013 Premier League final. Not bad for someone who was making his debut in the event.
Going from strength to strength, Van Gerwen hit a new peak by becoming world champion in 2014 at the age of 24. At the time, nobody had won the tournament at such a young age, although a teenage Luke Littler would later smash the record by seven years.
The World Championship victory also marked the beginning of his most dominant period. Van Gerwen followed his World Championship success by winning the Masters in 2015, retaining the Premier League title and collecting the UK Open. Across the year, he won 18 tournaments and approached the World Championship having won 21 consecutive matches.
The Continued Rise of Mighty Mike
Van Gerwen’s greatest weapon was his relentless scoring. His throw was fast and aggressive. His ability to find treble 20 seemed almost automatic when he was in rhythm, while his finishing was good enough to punish opponents whenever they gave him an opportunity.
By 2015, he was already the established world number one and a truly feared competitor, but it was in 2016 when darts fans saw him at his absolute best. During the year, Van Gerwen won nine major PDC titles, including the Premier League, UK Open, World Matchplay, World Grand Prix, European Championship, Grand Slam of Darts and Players Championship Finals. He also won the World Series Finals and The Masters. He then finished the year by winning his second World Championship.
Nine major titles in one calendar year remains an extraordinary achievement. For context, Van Gerwen was so dominant that he briefly held every PDC major title simultaneously in early 2017. Not even Phil Taylor managed that incredibl feat.
The statistics from this period can be a little difficult to comprehend, as Van Gerwen enjoyed a period of domination we would argue has never been witnessed in darts before. By the end of the year, he achieved a DartsRec Elo above 2300, the only player ever to do so (Taylor peaked at 2275).
Perhaps the match that best highlights his superiority came during the 2016 Premier League. Facing Michael Smith, Van Gerwen won 7-1 while averaging 123.40 with three darts. This remains the highest televised match average in darts. It should also be noted that of the 46 instances in men’s darts of a player registering an average of 114+, Van Gerwen is responsible for eight of them.
Even More Success
_by_Sandro_Halank–168.jpg){kind=link}
Mighty Mike remained the dominant force in the sport for the next couple of years, despite tailing off a little. He won the Premier League in 2017, 2018 and 2019, completing a run of four consecutive victories in the competition from 2016 onwards. He also won The Masters five years in succession between 2015 and 2019.
In January 2019, Van Gerwen defeated Michael Smith 7-3 at Alexandra Palace to claim his third world title. He raced into a 4-0 lead before Smith fought back, but the Dutchman eventually regained control and secured the trophy. Three victories in the tournament place him second in the PDC World Darts Championship all-time list (as of 2026), albeit a long way behind Phil Taylor (14) in first.
The Years After His Peak
Good and bad news this morning. I will be having some surgery on a long standing problem and will miss the World Cup of Darts. The good news is, I will be back to 100% once my recovery is complete. The full story is too big for a post so you can see below.
Regards Michael 💚 pic.twitter.com/UvvVj9Iydt
— Michael Van Gerwen (@MvG180) May 30, 2022
The remarkable thing about Van Gerwen’s career is that he has continued to collect titles and remain among the world’s top players, despite numerous injuries, which says a lot about his mentality and ability. In 2022, he underwent surgery for carpal tunnel syndrome, while shoulder problems saw him withdraw from several tournaments between 2023 and 2026.
Those injuries have taken their toll. Compare the Dutchman’s throwing action today with the fluid movement he had during his prime, and the difference is noticeable. He no longer looks quite as natural or effortless as he once did. Still, despite the drop-off, it should not be forgotten just how good Van Gerwen was at his best.
How Does Van Gerwen Rank Among the Greatest?
When it comes to greatness, there is no real debate that Phil Taylor is ahead of Van Gerwen. Taylor won 14 PDC World Championships and dominated the sport across a career spanning decades, while Van Gerwen has won three.
That does not necessarily settle who was the better player at their absolute peak, mind you. Van Gerwen himself has made that distinction. In 2016, he described Taylor as the greatest of all time but argued that he was the ‘best’, pointing to the level of darts he was producing. He even claimed he was playing “the best darts that have ever been thrown.”
For now, Taylor is the greatest and Van Gerwen is firmly second. But when it comes to the highest level of performance, there is a strong argument that Van Gerwen’s peak was the best darts the sport has ever seen.