Mighty Mike: I’m just too Powerful

MICHAEL VAN GERWEN has dismissed the possibility of a ‘greatest of all time’ shootout with Phil Taylor.

After the Dutchman’s third world title in six years established him as the best player of his generation there is one final challenge left for him.

Is he the best ever – or will Phil Taylor’s feats remain untouchable and set him apart for eternity?

‘The Power’, who handed in his Tour card a year ago, revealed last month he would consider coming out of retirement for a one-off encore, like his payper-view showdown against Andy Fordham in 2004, if the price was right and the public wanted it.

On the evidence of the William Hill PDC World Championship at Alexandra Palace, there are few showdowns the fans want to see more than a final Taylor-MVG face-off.

Taylor’s 16 world titles have not been forgotten by the crowds, who chanted his name most nights at a largely disappointing tournament.

And Van Gerwen, whose £500,000 prize money after a 7-3 win against Michael

Smith in the final took his career earnings beyond the

£7m mark, was happy to throw down the gauntlet.

He said: “Phil won’t do it, he won’t. He doesn’t want to play me in a one-off match because if the format is too long, he will get absolutely hammered.

“I know that for a fact. I can’t say the facts, but I just know.

“He’s twice as old as me now... and I’m twice as good as him!

“Seriously, though, Phil Taylor is phenomenal, but he has retired and this is my time now.”

Although 58-year-old Taylor has won 34 of their 62 meetings, including the 2013 world championship final, Van Gerwen would not duck one last duel to offset Brexit’s damage to his earning power.

The Dutchman said: “Brexit will hit me really hard. I get paid all my prize money in sterling, and look how much it has fallen against the euro already.

“If it falls another 10 per cent, that’s 10 per cent of my prize money gone. Brexit is horrible – I hope you didn’t vote for it.

“I don’t like it. I hope I’m going to get a visa to come back and defend my title.” He is due to defend his Premier League title on home soil in Rotterdam in March.

But if he can get back in the UK without undue hindrance, he is planning to dominate the PDC circuit again.

He added: “A decade of domination, why not? I’ve been the king of darts for the last five years, so I need to keep the positivity going.

“There are loads of good young players out there, but they have not taken my crown because they are not good enough yet.”