Is Michael Van Gerwen The Best Of All Time?

Is Michael Van Gerwen The Best Of All Time?

MVG PDC 2020

While he may never come close to Phil ‘The Power’ Taylor’s full career achievements, there is a case to be made that Michael van Gerwen is the best darter of all time.

Quick Michael Van Gerwen Facts and Accomplishments

NicknameMighty Mike
NationalityDutch
Date of Birth25 April, 1989
Premier LeagueWinner 2013, 2016, 2017, 2018, 20119
PDC World ChampionshipsWinner 2014, 2017, 2019

His list of achievements is endless, particularly when it comes to the majors where the 27-year-old now stands bald head and shoulders above the rest of the field. A recent trophy glut cannot hide a glorious decade for the Dutch sensation who still has enough time on his hands to overtake Phil ‘The Power’ Taylor as the sport’s finest ever, an accolade many have already paid to him.

It was ten years ago that the 17-year-old from Boxtel, Holland became the youngest player ever to win a major darts title when he took down the 2006 World Masters to add to the multiple tournaments he had also collected as a teenager.

MVG darts: A Dutch prodigy

One year later he moved up, sizing up the game’s number one, Phil Taylor, which for any other teenager would have been too daunting a task. No matter.

The 18-year-old Mighty Mike took down The Power in straight sets. This was achieved as part of a quite remarkable run to the final of the Dutch Masters of Darts tournament, where he went on to hit an incredible nine-dart finish against Raymond van Barneveld, the eventual tournament winner.

Throughout his senior successes, he was also thriving at the youth level, where he reached two PDC Youth World Championship finals, allowing him to begin asserting his dominance on his peers.

PDC Young Player Of the Year Award signals futures success

In 2011, he was named as PDC Young Player of the Year, giving himself the confidence to make the following season his true breakout year. In 2012, MVG won seven Pro Tour events, hit a live televised a nine-dart leg on his way to Blackpool’s World Matchplay quarter-finals and scored his first major PDC title, the £100,000 World Grand Prix title in Dublin, that October.

He then made the final of the next televised tournament, The Grand Slam of Darts, where he perfectly executed a highly impressive 10-5 triumph over sixteen-time world champion Taylor in the last 16.

In that season’s World Championships, he eliminated defending champion Adrian Lewis before destroying James Wade in the semis and losing to Taylor in the final. Then, to cap it off, the PDC awards ceremony that had twelve months earlier crowned the Dutchman as Young Player of the Year was now awarding its newest star the Fans’ Player of the Year, PDPA Players’ Player of the Year and his second consecutive Young Player of the Year award.

Having taken no time at all to rise to fourth in the PDC Order of Merit, MVG achieved automatic qualification for the Premier League of Darts which, of course, he won in a final against The Power as the pair began to lock up the sport, refusing to let almost any other player get a look in over the following few years.

The pair met again in the final of the 2013 Players Championship which, like so many others to come, went the way of the Dutchman. He finished the season by becoming the World Champion when he defeated Peter ‘Snakebite’ Wright in the final at the Alexandra Palace.

Michael van Gerwen: A Darts icon

MVG darts career highlights

From there, he has grown into one of the sport’s domineering forces as he picked up title after title in 2014 and 2015 before, this year he has won almost everything, virtually unchallenged. He has later retained his Masters, Matchplay, European Championship, Grand Slam and UK Open titles while also claiming the Premier League.

Today, he is a three-time PDC World Darts champion and five-time winner of the Premier League of Darts. Van Gerwen is the second most successful player in PDC history, behind Phil Taylor.

And it is this on which he will ultimately be measured in darting history.  While Taylor has won 84 major titles, which includes the jaw-dropping record of 16 World Championships, MVG is in receipt of 52 PDC wins and is closing in on the record. This, while Adrian ‘Jackpot’ Lewis, Peter ‘Snakebite’ Wright and Gary ‘The Flying Scotsman’ Anderson all have two apiece. It would be a travesty if Van Gerwen only collects three World Championships in his career, but we can’t really see that happening, can we?

The biggest event of the year begins in a matter of weeks and, if MVG is to challenge The Power’s WC legacy, then he must start delivering at the Ally Pally. A tenner says he will.

Michael van Gerwen’s amazing 2016

  • The Masters (PDC Major, ArenaMK)
  • UK Open Qualifier 2 (Wigan)
  • Dutch Darts Masters (European Tour)
  • UK Open Qualifier 5 (Wigan)
  • UK Open Qualifier 6 (Wigan)
  • UK Open (PDC Major, Minehead)
  • German Darts Masters (European Tour, Munich)
  • Players Championship 3 (Barnsley)
  • Gibraltar Darts Trophy (European Tour, Gibraltar)
  • Premier League Darts (PDC Major)
  • Shanghai Darts Masters (WSD Event, Shanghai)
  • World Matchplay (PDC Major, Blackpool)
  • European Darts Open (European Tour, Duesseldorf)
  • Perth Darts Masters (WSD Event, Perth)
  • European Darts Trophy (European Tour, Muelheim)
  • European Darts Grand Prix (European Tour, Sindelfingen)
  • Players Championship 14 (Barnsley)
  • Players Championship 15 (Barnsley)
  • Players Championship 16 (Barnsley)
  • Players Championship 17 (Dublin)
  • World Grand Prix (PDC Major, Dublin)
  • European Championship (PDC Major, Hasselt, Belgium)
  • World Series of Darts Finals (PDC Major, Glasgow)
  • Grand Slam of Darts (PDC Major, Wolverhampton)
  • PDC World Championship ?

Career honours in the PDC

  • PDC World Championship: 2014, 2017, 2019
  • Premier League: 2013, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019
  • UK Open: 2015, 2016, 2020
  • World Matchplay: 2015, 2016
  • The Masters: 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019
  • World Grand Prix: 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2019
  • Grand Slam of Darts: 2015, 2016, 2017
  • European Championship: 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017
  • Players Championship Finals: 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020
  • World Series of Darts Finals: 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019
  • World Cup: 2014, 2017, 2018
  • Televised nine-dart finishes: 7

Michael Van Gerwen FAQs

We know a lot about Michael Van Gerwen the world-class darts player, but darts fans also have a lot of other questions about MVG. So here we take a look at some of the questions you are asking about arguably the best darts player today.

What is Michael Van Gerwen’s nickname?

Michael Van Gerwen’s nickname is “Mighty Mike.” He also is commonly referred to by his initials, MVG.

Who is Michael Van Gerwen’s wife

Michael Van Gerwen’s wife is Daphne Govers, who he married in 2014.

What is the Michael Van Gerwen Net Worth?

The Michael Van Gerwen net worth is estimated to be around the $6 million mark. As the world’s number one darts player from 2014 to 2021, he has amassed a small fortune with over £8.5 million in career earnings.

What does Michael Van Gerwen’s house look like?

In 2017, MVG purchased a home in Vlijmen, in the Dutch province of North Brabant, Netherlands.

What is the Michael Van Gerwen Twitter handle?

Michael Van Gerwen’s Twitter can be found at @MvG180. The account is managed by MODUS Darts and has over 385,000 followers.

How old is Michael Van Gerwen?

Michael van Gerwen was born on April 25th, 1989.

What did Michael Van Gerwen look like with hair?

It’s hard to believe that the famously bald Dutchman once had hair. This is what MVG looked like during his early darts days:

Michael Van Gerwen (MVG) young with hair

What are MVG career earnings?

As of March 1st, MVG career earnings total £8,571,167, which is the most all-time.

Even more MVG questions answered

Still want to know more about your favorite player? MVG sat down to do the Autocomplete Challenge on YouTube to answer some top questions that fans are searching for on Google.

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Michael van Gerwen Wins Players Championship Finals

Michael van Gerwen Wins Players Championship Finals

Michael Van Gerwen wins Players Championship

Another week means another darts tourney and yet another Michael van Gerwen victory in a televised competition. This time it was a third successive Players Championship Final victory. The world number one — it goes without saying — is now Betway’s 8/11 favourite to win the World Championship, which you will be pleased to hear is just a little over two weeks away.

Yet another victory for Gerwen

van Gerwen’s latest win came at the expense of unexpected finalist Jonny Clayton, who he beat 11-2 in Minehead. The victory comes on the back of three successive televised event wins at the European Championship, World Series of Darts Finals and the Grand Slam of Darts, stretching his run to 28 competitive match wins in a row dating back to October’s World Grand Prix.

Against Clayton, the Dutch maestro averaged 105.5 and landed five 180s and 23 doubles giving his opponent — a pre-tourney 250/1 shot who was appearing in his first ever TV final — no chance whatsoever to get into the match. Despite his loss, Clayton — who shot down Rob Cross in the semi-finals — comes away as an over-achiever that had previously never reached a quarter-final at this level.

The draw for the 2018 PDC World Darts Championship

The draw for the 2018 PDC World Darts Championship was made last night and we now know that Michael van Gerwen will begin his Championship defence against Betway’s extreme outsider Christian Kist, who is currently around 1000/1.

Two-time world champion, 2017 runner-up and 6/1 second favourite Gary Anderson will first face off against the winner of Jeff Smith (500/1) or 1000/1 hopeful Luke Humphries, but should meet MVG in the Quarter Finals if everything goes as expected.

This year’s second seed and UK Open champion Peter ‘Snakebite’ Wright will begin his campaign against Brazilian Diogo Portela (2000/1). Wright is 9/1 with Betway, who hopes to topple the Dutch master in a likely final and win what would be his biggest event of his career.

After a very slight wobble a few months back, van Gerwen has returned to red-hot form at exactly the right time making the world no 1 again the man to beat as he hunts down a third world title priced 8/11. His half of the draw will also potentially pair him with countryman and 50/1 shot Raymond van Barneveld, who starts his campaign against Richard North (750/1).

Taylor, Gurney and Cross also draw attention for 2018 World Darts Championship

Of the 72-man field, all eyes will be on 16-time world champion Phil ‘The Power’ Taylor, who takes to the Ally Pally stage for one last time in what will be his final competitive appearance before retirement. To advance, he will likely need to come through the 500/1 priced Justin Pipe and likely one of either James Wade (125/1) or Mervyn King (300/1). Taylor is looking to repeat his superb final victory at the World Matchplay earlier this year by claiming the Sid Waddell Trophy and exiting in true Taylor style. Betway have the sixth seeded legend at 10/1 to do so. The Power will start off the eventagainst Chris Dobey (500/1).

Elsewhere, Daryl Gurney and Rob Cross continue to impose themselves on the big four. In just a year, Gurney has replaced Adrian Lewis (33/1) — who is himself a two-time winner here — as fourth seed, while Rob Cross finds himself on the edge of the top 20 despite going from amateur to professional over the same time span. Betway are offering 12/1 on Cross and 40/1 on Gurney in the outright winner’s book.

Very much the jewel in the PDC crown, the 2018 PDC World Darts Championship will takes place at Alexandra Palace in London from Thursday December 14 to Monday January 1 and will be broadcast live on Sky Sports.

First Round Draw (seeds in brackets)

Top Half

  • Michael van Gerwen v Christian Kist
  • (32) James Wilson v Krzystof Ratajski
  • (16) Gerwyn Price v Ted Evetts
  • (17) Ian White v Willard Bruguier/Cody Harris
  • (8) Dave Chisnall v Vincent van der Voort
  • (25) Steve Beaton v William O’Connor
  • (9) Raymond van Barneveld v Richard North
  • (24) Kyle Anderson v Peter Jacques
  • (5) Mensur Suljovic v Kevin Painter
  • (28) Robert Thornton v Alan Ljubic/Brendan Dolan
  • (12) Jelle Klaasen v Jan Dekker
  • (21) Stephen Bunting v Dimitri Van den Bergh
  • (4) Daryl Gurney v Ronny Huybrechts
  • (29) John Henderson v Marko Kantele
  • (13) Michael Smith v Steve Lennon
  • (20) Rob Cross v Seigo Asada/Gordon Mathers

Bottom Half

  • (2) Peter Wright v Diogo Portela
  • (31) Jonny Clayton v Kenny Neyens/Jamie Lewis
  • (15) Alan Norris v Kim Viljanen
  • (18) Kim Huybrechts v James Richardson
  • (7) Adrian Lewis v Aleksandr Oreshkin/Kevin Munch
  • (26) Cristo Reyes v Antonio Alcinas
  • (10) Simon Whitlock v Martin Schindler
  • (23) Darren Webster v Devon Petersen
  • (6) Phil Taylor v Chris Dobey
  • (27) Justin Pipe v Xiao Chen Zong/Bernie Smith
  • (11) James Wade v Keegan Brown
  • (22) Mervyn King v Zoran Lerchbacher
  • (3) Gary Anderson v Jeff Smith/Luke Humphries
  • (30) Mark Webster v Kai Fan Leung/Paul Lim
  • (14) Benito van de Pas v Steve West
  • (19) Joe Cullen v Jermaine Wattimena
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Mighty Michael van Gerwen wins Grand Slam of Darts

Mighty Michael van Gerwen wins Grand Slam of Darts

Michael Van Gerwen Grand Slam

On Sunday at the Wolverhampton Civic Hall, Michael van Gerwen beat Phil Taylor before taking down Peter Wright in the final to claim his third straight Grand Slam of Darts. The world number one now adds the title to his World Championship and Premier League crowns in what has become yet another imperious year for the Dutch master.

A strong final eight

The group stages had seen a number of spirited performances from some of the field’s outsiders, but in the end the final eight was about as good as could have been expected.

The Order of Merit’s top four – Michael van Gerwen, Peter Wright, Gary Anderson and Daryl Gurney – all took their place in the Quarter Finals. They were joined by the 16-time world champion Phil Taylor, a 2017 televised major winner in Mensur Suljovic, BDO champion Glen Durrant and Rob Cross, considered by many to the game’s hottest emerging talent. This was not a view shared by Phil ‘The Power’ Taylor regarding Daryl Gurney, who when quizzed by Sky Sports if Superchin represented the future of Darts, laughed it off and humiliated his young opponent 16-4, 24-hours later.

Back to Sunday’s action and Peter Wright, who had earlier fought back from being six legs down to beat Gary Anderson 15-16 in the semi-final, couldn’t keep up with MVG in the final. van Gerwen averaged over 50% throughout the whole event and won six of the last eight legs to win 16-12 and claim yet another major televised title.

Only hours earlier, the Dutchman had beaten Phil Taylor, the only other man to win three Grand Slams, 16-8. The final paired the newly top ranked pair in the world who went on to share seven 100+ finishes before Mighty Mike hit the after burners and stormed off with the win becoming only the second man to lift the Grand Slam trophy on three successive occasions.

Looking ahead

As the players prepare for the Players Championship in Minehead this weekend, many eyes are turned towards Alexandra Palace and the World Championships, now little under a month away.

Michael van Gerwen heads into the Ally Pally chasing a third world title and his second in as many years. He currently a 4/5 favorite at Betway to do so. Gary Anderson (11/2) and ‘Snakebite’ Wright (7/1) in particular should be considered the biggest threats to the Dutchman’s growing immortality.

Elsewhere, the traditional top eight of the past few years is finally being threatened by Daryl Gurney, Mensur Suljovic and Rob Cross as they begin to challenge the likes of Adrian Lewis, Dave Chisnall and James Wade in hunting down the leading pack of Van Gerwen, Wright, Anderson, Taylor and Raymond van Barneveld. Come February, Wade, Lewis and Chizzy will have a battle on their hands when it comes to the Premier League matches and other majors.

That said, it’s inevitable that the departing legend that is Phil Taylor will be where the pre-tourney narrative is. He enjoyed himself in Wolverhampton, where he made life miserable for the Sky Sports’ cameras. During the event he playfully cursed live on air and dismissed the challenge of Gurney, whom he destroyed in the QF’s. On this form, he will not be going quietly come North London. Taylor is a respectable 8/1 at current prices for one last shot at World Championship glory.

The Power will not be at Minehead this weekend, where the PDC go it alone and where 27-year-old Rob Cross is the top seed. Cross’ good form continued with a run to the quarter-final last week, making it easy to forget that this is his first year on the circuit and was not even a professional this time last year. Now Cross, who has risen to world’s top 20, finds himself top seed and fourth favourite for a live televised event. If you fancy Cross to win live on ITV2 this weekend, get on him now at 9/1 at Betway. Or, of course, you’ll find the big three, MVG (10/11), Anderson (11/2) or Wright (8/1) also available.

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