After Michael van Gerwen stepped onto the oche for the first time in his semi-final against Chris Dobey, everyone inside Alexandra Palace knew the Dutchman was heading into his seventh World Championship final.
The three-time champion planted his right foot with a steely look in his eyes before hitting three triple 20s with his first darts of the match. There was no celebration, not even a hint of a smile, he was just serious.
Van Gerwen dispatched Dobey with ease, crushing the Geordie 6-1 to book their place in Friday’s show. Finally, the emotion was visible to all after launching his last double of the game.
Now ‘Mighty Mike’ will take on teenage sensation Luke Littler, who aims to become the youngest darts player to lift the Sid Waddell Trophy at just 17 years old.
That record currently belongs to Van Gerwen himself, as the Dutch star first won the World Championship title as a 24-year-old when he beat Peter Wright in 2014.
His career has been a rollercoaster since that fateful day 11 years ago. Despite being only 35 years old, many thought Van Gerwen’s peak years were behind him after his career was on the verge of derailing due to off-the-clock problems. However, his redemption arc is almost complete.
Michael van Gerwen has regained his best form at this year’s World Darts Championships
Van Gerwen will face young rival Luke Littler in the final at Alexandra Palace on Friday night.
The Dutchman is looking to win his fourth world title, which he last won in January 2019.
When Van Gerwen burst onto the PDC scene in 2012, he seemed almost untouchable. If it hadn’t been for the dominance of darts legend Phil ‘The Power’ Taylor, no one would have come close to him.
While his now rival, Littler, was still in primary school, the Dutchman was the wonderkid. He broke a number of records when he was young and dazzled the world of darts.
By the age of 29, Van Gerwen had already won three world titles, taking home the sport’s top prize in 2017 and 2019, in addition to his success in 2014. Many thought it was the closest darts would get to the 16-time champion Taylor.
Well, their era of dominance was unsustainable. A series of medical problems and his career taking him away from his wife and children took their toll on Van Gerwen and the titles began to dry up. It’s fair to say his road back to the top has been far from painless.
Medical problems hinder progress
Van Gerwen is undoubtedly one of the poster boys of darts. As one of the most recognizable faces in the sport today, only his Friday night opponent, Littler, surpasses him in fame.
Something that is synonymous with ‘Mighty Mike’ is his big, radiant smile. That smile hasn’t been as prominent in recent years, however, and that’s not because he’s claimed fewer titles.
The Dutchman has had countless problems with his jaw, suffering from an underbite that has caused him severe pain. He recently claimed that the discomfort became so intense that “even a slice of ham” became difficult to bite into.
He has undergone two surgeries since early last year to correct his jaw problems, which affect his breathing and sleep, and the world finalist can now be seen wearing braces.
Van Gerwen has suffered from jaw problems since the beginning of 2023 and has undergone surgery twice
The Dutchman’s recognizable face has changed a lot due to his underbite surgeries.
Van Gerwen’s most recent surgery came after the World Matchplay – he had to take a break from the intense darts schedule to rest. However, despite all the treatment, jaw pain still affects your performance.
Speaking during the PDC World Series in September, Van Gerwen explained: “Anyone who has ever had a root canal and knows what it feels like, I can say you are a small child compared to what I went through.”
“That didn’t really feel good, but it has to be to stay calm.” My lower jaw searches and wants to return to its old position. I had a serious bite. A steak or a hard baguette, that’s still prohibited.’
Van Gerwen’s health problems do not end there. He also suffers from gout, which is a type of foot arthritis that commonly affects older people.
The 35-year-old has admitted to having had sudden and severe pain in the joints of his big toe in the past, which can cause him several problems with dart throwing given the stance he adopts in the oche.
“This has worried me for a long time,” the Dutchman said in November 2023. “Actually, I’m completely over it now.” I have good medication, but it’s still not working.
‘It’s frustrating. I can’t do anything about it. “We also have to deal with the anti-doping authority, so we can’t keep everything.”
Van Gerwen can now be seen wearing braces when playing as he continues to battle issues.
The 35-year-old’s smile looked very different even when he won the Premier League in 2023.
Life away from his wife is a struggle
Through all his hardships, Van Gerwen has had his wife, Daphne, supporting him every step of the way. However, most of the time he has had to do it from afar.
The couple have been childhood sweethearts and met in 2008 when they were still teenagers. They married six years later, after the Dutchman’s first world title and now share two children.
However, their relationship has not been without struggles. Just eight months after marrying in August 2014, Van Gerwen became embroiled in an alleged sexting scandal that threatened to derail his marriage.
‘Mighty Mike’ was reported to have sent intimate messages to Stacey Owen, a fan he had seen in the crowd while playing a darts tournament in the UK. As a result, he came out publicly to downplay the intensity of his relationship with Ms Owen, while admitting his “regret” over the text messages.
“I deeply regret my decision to exchange messages with Stacey Owen and my decision to meet her while she was already in the UK to play in the Premier League,” van Gerwen wrote in a statement.
‘I wish to make it clear that there has never been any physical relationship between Mrs Owen and me.
‘My main concern is my family and my wife Daphne, to whom I apologize unreservedly. My hope is that people will now allow me to move on and focus on my performances on the night.’
In the end, Van Gerwen and Daphne made it over the rocky area and are now inseparable.
Van Gerwen married his childhood sweetheart, Daphne, in 2014 and they have two children.
The couple are going strong after suffering an early setback in their marriage and can be seen holidaying in Ibiza in 2021 (above)
However, that was not always the case. Daphne, who has over 34,000 followers on Instagram, began her career as a hairdresser.
As her husband’s career soared, she decided to sacrifice her life inside the salon to tour with Van Gerwen as often as possible.
Daphne can often be seen in the crowd with her children, while the 64-time title winner regularly points in her direction after his biggest victories in the sport.
Last year, after reaching the quarter-finals of the World Championship at Ally Pally, Van Gerwen spoke about how hard he finds playing during the festive period.
He is forced to spend time away from his native Netherlands over Christmas and New Year in an attempt to prepare for competitive matches, which has been the root of much pain in the great player’s career.
“After the match, the kiss was for my family because they have to be without me again,” Van Gerwen said after beating Stephen Bunting in 2023.
“I feel good and I have lovely people around me. Of course I miss my kids, I miss my wife, but that’s part of the game.”
Return to form
Before the World Championships, which began in mid-December, Van Gerwen was going through the most difficult year of his career to date.
Van Gerwen’s star quality had seemingly diminished, and that was summed up when he was given a place in the quarter-finals for the first time since 2013 at this year’s tournament.
Van Gerwen looked imperious against Callan Rydz and Chris Dobey on his way to the final
Van Gerwen aims to prevent Littler from breaking his record of becoming the youngest player to win the World Championship.
Heading into the championship, Van Gerwen’s name was rarely mentioned when it came to predicting who was going to win it all. Most of the attention was focused on young star Littler and current champion Luke Humphries.
Even when the latter was eliminated, there were only rumors that the Dutchman could win a fourth title.
However, he turned the world’s attention once again when he won an all-time classic against Callan Rydz in the quarterfinals.
Dobey’s demolition followed and now he has the opportunity to take down favorite Littler in front of a packed Ally Pally crowd.
Van Gerwen may have lost his last two world finals against Wright and Michael Smith, but remember the phrase “third time’s a charm?” Well, expect that to be the case on Friday night.