In the electrifying world of professional darts, where pinpoint precision can turn underdogs into legends overnight, few names evoke the thunderous roar of dominance like Michael van Gerwen. “The Green Machine,” as he’s affectionately known for his emerald shirts and explosive scoring, has long been the heartbeat of the PDC circuit—a three-time world champion whose 159 PDC titles make him a colossus among mortals. But as the autumn leaves swirl outside Dortmund’s Westfalenhalle ahead of the 2025 European Darts Championship, a pall of uncertainty hangs over the 36-year-old Dutch maestro. Whispers in the darting corridors have grown into concerned murmurs, with close allies voicing fears that the fire that once scorched opponents is flickering perilously low. Amid a year marred by personal turmoil and on-stage stumbles, van Gerwen’s once-unassailable form has crumbled, leaving fans and fellow pros grappling with a stark reality: even titans can teeter.
It all began unraveling in the crisp chill of early 2025, when van Gerwen stormed into the PDC World Darts Championship as the third seed, his eyes locked on a fourth world crown. The Ally Pally faithful, still buzzing from Luke Littler’s prodigious triumph the year prior, watched in awe as he dispatched challengers with his signature blend of raw power and unerring accuracy. Yet, in the final showdown against the teenage sensation, the magic faltered. Littler, all youthful bravado and laser focus, edged out a 7-4 victory, denying van Gerwen the glory and pocketing the £500,000 prize. It was a heartbreaker, but few could have foreseen it as the harbinger of a horror season. “It’s like a big rollercoaster at the moment,” van Gerwen admitted later, his voice laced with the weariness of a man who’d battled too many close calls. “Things don’t always go my way. Too many games, I have to battle too much and then you make it hard for yourself.”
The defeats piled up like unchecked 180s. In the Premier League, a tournament van Gerwen had owned for over a decade, he limped through the league phase without a single nightly victory—a first in his storied career. Night after night, under the glaring spotlights of arenas from Cardiff to Sheffield, he traded blows with the elite, only to watch rivals like Humphries and Littler soar past. His quarterfinal exit to Nathan Aspinall on Night 16 sealed a playoff drought, the second miss in 13 years, dropping him to fourth in the table and igniting questions about his waning edge. The World Matchplay followed suit, an early exit that echoed the ghosts of his 2024 runner-up finish, where Humphries had pipped him 18-15 in a thriller. Even the UK Open, a stage where he’d claimed three titles, turned treacherous with a fourth-round shock to Mensur Suljović, surrendering five legs in a row in a haze of uncharacteristic errors.
But the Pro Tour—darts’ relentless weekly grind—exposed the cracks deepest. Van Gerwen, who once feasted on floor events with 90 PDC Pro Tour wins, has managed just one ranking title this year: the German Darts Grand Prix in March, where a nine-darter against Ryan Searle lit up the scoreboard before he clinched an 8-5 final over Gian van Veen. Beyond that? A barren wasteland. Five opening-round exits in six attempts, including a humiliating 6-5 loss to 23-year-old Dominik Gruellich in his hometown of Hildesheim. By October, he languished in 93rd on the Players Championship Order of Merit, far adrift of the top 64 needed for November’s Players Championship Finals at Butlins Minehead. In a move that stunned the circuit, he withdrew from the remaining Pro Tour events in Wigan and beyond, effectively conceding his first-ever absence from the Finals. “That takes some getting used to,” remarked one observer, capturing the collective disbelief.
Off the oche, the narrative darkens further. May brought the gut-wrenching announcement of his separation from wife Daphne Govers after 11 years of marriage, a union that had weathered the highs of world titles and the birth of their two children—a daughter in 2017 and a son in 2020. The split, shared via social media with raw honesty, shattered the image of van Gerwen as the unflappable family man. “I’m just human, you know,” he confided to Dutch outlet AD during a reflective getaway to Ibiza with his kids, where the sun-kissed beaches offered scant solace from the emotional maelstrom. Compounding the heartache, his father Henri’s ongoing battle with cancer has forced van Gerwen to prioritize family, sidelining darts for precious moments of support. He even pulled out of the World Cup of Darts, leaving Danny Noppert and Gian van Veen to fly the Dutch flag—a decision that spoke volumes about his fractured focus.
Enter Vincent van der Voort, van Gerwen’s closest confidant and a two-time World Championship quarter-finalist, whose candid words on the Darts Draait Door podcast have amplified the alarm bells. No longer holding a tour card but ever the straight-talking Dutchman, van der Voort didn’t mince words about his friend’s plight. “He’s really struggling with himself now,” he revealed, his tone heavy with brotherly concern. “You can tell he puts on a brave face in public, but behind that there’s emptiness. It’s all hitting him.” Van der Voort, who knows the toll of the oche intimately, painted a portrait of a man adrift: the Premier League mediocrity, the World Matchplay wipeout, the UK Open upset—all symptoms of deeper voids. “Because he’s doing all these other things, people think, ‘Oh, there he goes again, skipping darts for something else.’ I believe he’s genuinely struggling, but it comes across oddly.” He reserved particular ire for van Gerwen’s attempts at respite, like the Ibiza trip or earlier health woes from a lingering virus picked up in Thailand that had him consulting doctors regularly. “You’re not going to regain form by taking a vacation,” van der Voort chided, urging a return to basics amid the chaos.
Yet, amid the gloom, glimmers persist. In September’s World Series of Darts Finals, van Gerwen clawed back a major trophy after two barren years, dismantling Littler 11-7 in the final to reclaim some shine. “I have to just answer with performances,” he shrugged off critics in May, his defiance a spark in the gathering storm. But 2026 looms as a gauntlet: with the PDC Order of Merit resetting post-2024 Worlds, he’ll defend a fortune in prize money from last year’s World Championship final (£250,000) and Matchplay runner-up spot. Fail, and he risks tumbling from the top echelons, ceding ground to the Humphries-Littler axis.
Van Gerwen’s saga is a poignant reminder of darts’ human underbelly—the mental marathons behind the glory. As he eyes a return at the European Championship, where he’ll face a grueling draw, the question lingers: can “The Green Machine” refuel? His allies, like van der Voort, remain steadfast. “Next year is huge,” the friend warned, blending hope with hard truth. “He has to defend everything.” For now, the oche awaits, a unforgiving mirror to a soul in flux. In a sport where legends are forged in isolation, van Gerwen’s fight isn’t just for titles—it’s for redemption, one dart at a time.
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