Phil Taylor ruled the oche for longer than Sir Alex Ferguson ran the show at Manchester United.
In sport's pantheon of iconic champions, only Lester Piggott – whose nine Derby winners spanned 29 years between 1954 and 1983 – enjoyed greater longevity at the top. So when Taylor tips Michael van Gerwen to win the 2024 Paddy Power PDC Darts World Championship, which begins at Alexandra Palace on Friday night, he's in an invincible place to shout the odds.
The 'Power', whose astonishing stockpile of 16 world titles between 1990 and 2013 will never be broken, believes clog almighty MVG will be the man to beat this year – despite bookies making in-form Luke Humphries, who has won the last three TV majors, their favourite.
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Taylor, now 63 and preparing for his last season on the Seniors circuit before retiring from all competitive darts, said: “The man to beat is the one you're always most pleased to see getting knocked out. We had some battles, and loved getting under each other's skin, but I think Michael van Gerwen is still the one all the others want out of the way.
“I picked Michael Smith to win it last year, so perhaps this old codger from Stoke still knows what he's talking about – and I'm tipping Van Gerwen to win it this time. Nobody has dominated the circuit this year and won all the majors – they have been shared around, which is great for the game – but Michael is the one who has an extra gear.
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“He hasn't won it for the last four years, which will be eating away at him. He's like a wounded tiger at the minute. And he has found some unusual ways to get knocked out – he tested positive for Covid one year, had to race back from Holland at Christmas before they shut the borders during lockdown and then walked into Chizzy (Dave Chisnall) having the game of his life and got wiped out 5-0.
“He won't be satisfied that he's still only won three world titles. I know he's hungry for more, and I think he'll win at least one more. But I know it eats away at him that he never beat me at the World Championship.
“Towards the end of my professional career, he gave me one or two good hidings on Premier League nights, but Michael has never quite got over missing darts to beat me the first time we played at Ally Pally when he was still only 18. And the last time I won the world title he was 2-0 up, and then 4-2 up, before I beat him 7-4.
“I know how much that hurt him – because he came back the following year and won it himself after Michael Smith had knocked me out.”
Van Gerwen will begin his campaign against either Keane Barry or Reynaldo Rivera in the second round on December 19. Taylor will also be keeping a close eye on 16-year-old sensation Luke Littler, the new PDC World Youth champion, who plays another Dutchman, Christian Kist, in the first round 24 hours later.
Littler's prize for toppling the former Lakeside BDO world champion would be a clash with UK Open champion Andrew Gilding – but Taylor fears bigger tests lie around the corner. He said: “Luke's very good, astonishingly good for his age, but he's still only 16 so time will tell when he's about 18 or 19, he's got a few quid in his pocket and there will be temptations all around him – girls, pubs, nights out with the lads.
“That's the time when you've got to be really dedicated and put all those distractions to one side. Luke will need a good manager. If I was looking after him, and he was wanting to go out every weekend, I'd be saying 'Don't you dare'.
"The likes of Roy Keane and the Neville brothers all prolonged their careers at Manchester United because Sir Alex was such a strong manager who kept them on a tight rein. To reach the top, and stay there, you have to put a curb on things and practise like a champion.”
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