Darts ace admits uncertainty over how much longer Van Gerwen will remain in the sport

PAUL NICHOLSON has questioned how many more years Michael van Gerwen will play before calling time on his legendary darts career.

The Dutchman has won 48 major titles between 2012 and 2025, including three PDC World Championship crowns, the second-most in history.

Van Gerwen, 37, also spent seven consecutive years as world No1, holding the top spot in the PDC Order of Merit from January 1, 2014, until January 3, 2021.

But MVG has endured a difficult spell in recent seasons, failing to win a ranked major title since 2023.

Mighty Mike has also failed to reach a major quarter-final this season, with his struggles seeing him drop out of the world's top eight.

Former pro Nicholson placed Van Gerwen fourth in his list of darts' greatest players for longevity, behind Phil Taylor, James Wade and Gary Anderson.

While the pundit hailed Van Gerwen’s incredible achievements, he admitted he was unsure how much longer he would remain in the sport.

He told Sporting Life: “Michael van Gerwen first appeared in the PDC ranks way back in 2007 but as we all know, it took him five years before he became a major champion.

“The rest, of course, is history as he became a relentless winning machine for around a decade and set astonishing record-breaking levels of performance that will stand the test of time for generations.

“Of course, he’s had difficult times in recent seasons but that’s not stopped him retaining an extremely high position in the rankings, reaching plenty more major finals and also winning the World Series in 2025.

“That said, I’m not sure how many more years we’re going to see Michael playing before he retires.

“Hopefully he can recapture the form and breathtaking standards of old but if he continues to slide down the rankings and struggles to win titles, I doubt he’d find enough motivation in battling it out with the masses.

“While there’s no doubting he’s second only to Phil Taylor in the GOAT rankings, this list is not just about quality or number of titles. It’s about being a force at the top of the game for the longest possible time and as things stand, he just falls short to the three ahead of him.”

Van Gerwen returns to action this Saturday at the Dutch Darts Championship in Maastricht.

Image: Taylor Lanning