Taylor names his five greatest darts players ever but leaves himself and Van Gerwen out

PHIL TAYLOR has named his five greatest darts players of all time but remarkably left himself and Michael van Gerwen out of the list.

The former world No1 won a record 87 major titles and a record 16 World Championships.

Taylor, 66, enjoyed a glittering professional career from 1987 to 2018, lifting 214 trophies to cement his status as the most successful player in history.

Mighty Mike is the second most recognised star with 48 PDC Premier titles, while his 90 ProTour triumphs are also a record, surpassing Taylor’s previous mark of 70 in February 2019.

Taylor wasted no time picking out the legends who left the biggest mark on him

He told Givemesport: “For me, I mean, I am old school. I’m back from the early 80s, really.

“I’ve got to go with Eric Bristow as one. John Lowe I would put as one of the greatest.

“Now, let me see, Dennis Priestley was brilliant at his time. Barney was great in his heyday.”

Unsurprisingly, Taylor also named Luke Littler, making the teenage sensation the only player from the modern era to feature in his selection.

Littler is now chasing a slice of history of his own as he bids to become the first player to win all 11 major titles in a single season.

The Nuke has already swept up the opening SIX and needs just five more trophies to complete the unprecedented clean sweep.

Littler became the youngest world champion in darts history at 17 and has since added 14 TV titles to his remarkable haul before even turning 20.

Taylor added: “Obviously, I have got to go for young Luke now. He’s exceptional. He definitely would make the top five, of course he would.”

Words: Aaron Nijjar

Image: Taylor Lanning