Michael van Gerwen has warned Luke Littler his time at the top will not be for long after insisting he wants to return to dominating darts.
It comes after also claiming that he helped Phil Taylor make up his mind over retiring from the PDC circuit.
MVG ended a 16-month wait for silverware on the European Tour last month when he lifted the Hungarian Darts Trophy, his last victory coming in May 2023 at the Belgian Darts Open.
Just days before, he won his first ranking tournament of the year when he claimed victory at the Players Championship 21.
It comes amid a difficult year for Van Gerwen, who might have seen his domination of darts rocked by the emergence of Littler and Luke Humphries.
The two Lukes have looked out of this world, with Humphries winning the PDC World Championship earlier this year by beating his namesake in the final.
Littler swept home the Premier League title in his debut year in the competition – a competition MVG holds the record for most victories with seven.
With some pundits claiming a new era might be dawning on darts, the Green Machine has reasserted himself as a powerhouse to be reckoned with.
He is relishing the opportunity to get the better of Littler and Humphries – just like he did when he put Taylor in a retirement home, he claimed.
The three-time world champion told the Daily Express: “I’ll definitely be there [among the best darts players in the world five years from now].
“I’m not going to stop in five years, they’ll [Littler and Humphries] need to do really well to keep me off my position and if they want to win as many tournaments [as me] in five years.
“I can’t see that happening, but you never know.
“Nobody knew there was a kid from Holland coming on the block who made Phil Taylor retire, do you know what I mean? That’s how quickly it can go.”
Van Gerwen certainly took the mantle of best player in the world after the Power faded in his latter years.
However, Taylor actually had a better head-to-head record against MVG and also beat him in the 2013 World Championship final – the only time they ever met at that stage.
With 16 World Championship titles to his name, there is no doubting that Taylor is the best ever darts player.
But Van Gerwen’s 155 PDC titles, including a record 89 PDC Pro Tour events, is nothing to be sniffed at – making him the second-most successful darts player of all time.
So even though the limelight is currently on Littler and Humphries, they have a long way to go before toppling the Dutchman.