Struggling Michael van Gerwen fired brutal warning as former darts star questions him for ‘doing the same thing’

Matthew Edgar and Paul Nicholson deliver stark assessment of Dutchman’s future as he faces crossroads

Michael van Gerwen has been hit with a brutal wake-up call from former darts professionals Matthew Edgar and Paul Nicholson, who warned the three-time world champion that he’s approaching a critical crossroads in his career.

The stark assessment came during Sky Sports’ Love the Darts podcast, where both analysts expressed serious concerns about Van Gerwen’s trajectory after what he himself described as “probably my worst year ever.”

“How Far Down the Rankings Does He Go?”

Edgar points mainly to the sporting and financial pressure Van Gerwen faces. According to him, the Dutchman has “a lot of prize money to defend.” That is no empty remark. Due to his years of dominance, Van Gerwen is under enormous pressure almost every season to protect his ranking points.

At the moment, Van Gerwen is still the world number four, but Edgar stresses that the question is no longer whether he can climb. That is a harsh assessment for a player who for years was almost automatically in the hunt for the number one spot.

The 36-year-old hasn’t won the World Championship since 2019—a seven-year drought that continues to weigh on his legacy. He’s reached three finals since but lost to Peter Wright, Michael Smith, and most recently Luke Littler.

The Critical Advice

An important point Edgar raises is the role of Vincent van der Voort. He believes Van Gerwen would do well to listen to his close friend and confidant. “I like to listen to Vincent, and he is very straight-shooting in what he says,” Edgar states. “He said about three months ago that Michael van Gerwen is going to come up to a crossroads soon. Either start applying himself or start looking at other things because people are going to overtake him”.

The warning carries particular weight given Van der Voort’s intimate knowledge of Van Gerwen’s game and mindset as both a longtime friend and practice partner.

Nicholson’s Brutal Assessment

Paul Nicholson emphatically agrees and even goes a step further in his analysis. The Australian highlights how big Van der Voort’s influence is on Van Gerwen as a person and as a player. “When Vincent is in the room or in the venue, Michael turns into a different animal,” Nicholson says. “Vincent is instrumental to the darting future of Michael. He always has been”.

What Van Gerwen especially does not need, according to Nicholson, are so-called yes-men. People who gloss over everything and confirm what the player already thinks. Honest, sometimes harsh feedback is exactly what’s needed to keep performing at the highest level. In that respect, Van der Voort’s presence seems invaluable to Van Gerwen, both on and off the stage.

Van der Voort’s Own Warning

Van der Voort himself has been equally direct about his friend’s predicament following Van Gerwen’s fourth-round exit at the 2026 World Championship—his earliest departure in a decade.

“You can’t do little for almost a year and then expect to get away with it on this stage,” Van der Voort said on the Darts Draait Door podcast.

Van Gerwen ends the year 21st on the Order of Merit with heavy prize money to defend. “If you have another year like this, you can simply drop out of the top sixteen,” Van der Voort warned. “That sounds bizarre, but it’s very possible”.

The two planned to sit down together for a crucial conversation. “What do you still want yourself? It’s his career. He decides everything. I can only point out what I see and what’s coming,” Van der Voort explained. “I hope he says: we’re going a hundred percent for it this year. That he feels that hunger again”.

Personal Turmoil

Much of Van Gerwen’s struggles can be traced to his separation from wife Daphne after more than a decade of marriage—a split that has clearly taken its toll both on and off the oche.

“I have had a tough year, probably my worst year ever,” Van Gerwen acknowledged ahead of the 2026 World Championship.

The divorce’s impact extended beyond household responsibilities. It resulted in Van Gerwen missing the World Cup of Darts, highlighting how personal circumstances have disrupted his competitive schedule.

The couple share two children—Mike and Zoe—and Van Gerwen stepped away from competition earlier in 2025 while adapting to his new circumstances as a single father.

Signs of Resurgence?

Despite the warnings, Van Gerwen has shown flashes of his old brilliance in recent weeks. He claimed the opening night of the 2026 Premier League with victory in Newcastle, ending a drought of nearly two years without a nightly title.

His route to the final included a commanding 6-2 quarter-final win over Stephen Bunting and a semi-final victory over Luke Humphries before defeating Gian van Veen 6-4 in the final.

The triumph prompted an unfiltered outburst on live television: “About f***ing time,” Van Gerwen said when presented with the winner’s trophy, forcing Sky Sports to issue an apology for the language.

He followed that up with a runner-up finish in Antwerp, defeating Josh Rock and Luke Littler before falling 6-3 to Gerwyn Price in the final. The consecutive strong performances have him leading the Premier League table with eight points after two nights.

The Crossroads

The remarks from Edgar and Nicholson are not an attack on Van Gerwen, but rather a wake-up call. They show how fine the line is between the absolute top and a sporting downturn, even for a player of his caliber.

The coming period will show whether Van Gerwen picks up the signals, continues to embrace the right people, and can reinvent himself. One thing is clear: no one doubts his class, but success is no longer a given.

The Young Challengers

The pressure comes from all directions. Luke Littler, at just 19 years old, has displaced Van Gerwen as the world’s dominant force. Luke Humphries sits at world number two. Gian van Veen is climbing rapidly. The competition is fiercer than ever.

“Gian plays everything,” Van der Voort noted. “He’s a young, hungry dog. You’re going to see more and more of those guys”.

The Verdict

Michael van Gerwen stands at a crossroads. The warnings from Edgar, Nicholson, and particularly Van der Voort paint a stark picture: continue as you are and risk sliding further down the rankings, or rediscover the hunger that made you the sport’s most feared competitor for nearly a decade.

His recent Premier League performances suggest the fire may not be completely extinguished. But flash-in-the-pan brilliance won’t be enough—Van Gerwen needs sustained excellence to protect his legacy and fend off the young challengers nipping at his heels.

The choice, as Van der Voort said, is his alone. But the message from those who know him best couldn’t be clearer: it’s time to decide whether you’re going “a hundred percent for it” or accepting that the era of MVG dominance is truly over.

With 48 major titles to his name, Van Gerwen’s place in darts history is secure. But whether he adds to that tally or watches it slowly slip into the past depends entirely on how he responds to these brutal but necessary truths.