After a difficult few years, at least due to his high standards, Michael van Gerwen found his best at the World Darts Championship. The Green Machine is just two wins away from claiming a fourth PDC world title and their first in six years.
Standing in his way is his semi-final opponent Chris Dobey and potentially Luke Littler or Stephen Bunting. A Van Gerwen versus Littler encounter would, in the eyes of many darts fans, be a dream final – the best of its era against the biggest star of the game today. The Dutchman, now 35, remains the youngest player to win the PDC World Championship, winning his first in 2014 at the age of 24.
Littler, 17, could incredibly have seven more chances to break that record. But whether Van Gerwen wins the Sid Waddell Trophy again or not, he will remain one of the greatest footballers. In the opinion of many, he is the second best of all time after Phil Taylor – and that has allowed him to live a comfortable life away from the oche.
What is Michael van Gerwen's net worth?
Having won over 150 PDC titles, Van Gerwen has an impressive net worth of around £7 million. Despite a difficult few years in major tournaments, his career winnings are approaching the £10 million mark.
And if he finally wins a fourth world title on Friday, he will pocket a further £500,000. Arriving in the sport just as prices began to soar, Van Gerwen is one of the richest darts players of all time. His income is supplemented by lucrative sponsorship deals with companies in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands.
Why did Michael van Gerwen take a break from darts?
Van Gerwen has undergone several jaw operations in recent years. In 2023, he underwent a procedure which proved unsuccessful and led to another operation.
He was still suffering from major discomfort in the first half of 2024, which led to further surgeries and a break in matches after the World Cup in July. Addressing the issue ahead of the Blackpool tournament, he explained the brutal nature of the operation, telling AD: “They are going to break me and reset my upper and lower jaw.
“My upper jaw, they will move it forward six millimeters and my lower jaw, they will move it back only three millimeters. I have a big underbite, a penny bowl, as they call it. Anyway, it bothers me a lot while eating.
“Your teeth also wear down and you snore more because of it. I'm looking forward to it. I can't bite into a slice of ham yet. We get tired of it at some point. After this, I hope to end all physical ailments.
After a month's absence he returned to action winning a Players' Championship at Wigan. With his jaw problems seemingly behind him, the Green Machine has been exceptional at Ally Pally so far, with his quarter-final win over the in-form Callan Rydz being his best performance on stage in years.
Who is Michael van Gerwen's wife?
Van Gerwen's biggest supporters are his wife Daphne and their two children, daughter Zoe and son Mike. Michael, originally from Boxtel, and Daphne met in their homeland in 2008 and married six years later.
Regularly present at her husband's tournaments, she is also a hairdresser. Often posting to Instagram, where she has over 33,000 followers, she shares cute family photos of herself with her boyfriend and the kids at vacation destinations like Disneyland and Dubai.
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