"He’s never beaten me in his life and he will never beat me in his life, he’s not good enough": Michael van Gerwen fails to see funny side in Unterbuchner joke

Michael van Gerwen did the talking both on and off the stage as he powered into the last 16 of the European Darts Grand Prix in Sindelfingen with a commanding 6–1 victory over Michael Unterbuchner — but it was his post-match comments that truly stole the spotlight.

The Dutchman’s dominant win set up a clash with Jermaine Wattimena, yet much of the focus centred on his blunt response to remarks made by his German opponent just 24 hours earlier after he beat William O'Connor at the European Darts Grand Prix.

After claiming only his second-ever win on the European Tour stage, Unterbuchner had been riding high. Speaking on stage in German, he said he was “mega happy” to finally show what he is capable of on this level. “Amazing, amazing, what can I say? Finally I showed what I can play on the European Tour stage. I do it often on the Challenge Tour, averaging 90-plus regularly, but today it worked on stage and I’m really happy.”

He also pointed to his strong recent form and mental confidence: "If you see what I’ve been playing on the Challenge Tour over the last weeks, or even half a year, anything else would have been disappointing for me personally.”

And with a big grin, he joked about his upcoming opponent: “Michael van Gerwen? Who is that? No, no just kidding. I’m looking forward to it.”

Even the light-hearted story about his wife booking an extra hotel night hinted at quiet belief: “My wife already said we should book another night at the hotel. I said no, no… but she won.”

Van Gerwen, however, was in no mood to entertain the humour. When reminded of Unterbuchner’s “Who is that?” joke, his response was cutting: "No, he didn’t make a joke. He’s one of those guys who tries to be funny, you know what I mean? He’s never beaten me in his life and he will never beat me in his life. He’s not good enough. Even my B game beats him.”

It was a typically uncompromising assessment from the three-time world champion, who made it clear he sees a gulf in class between the two. And when asked if he paid any attention to such comments or moments during the match, Van Gerwen delivered the line of the night: “The day I’m going to worry about Unterbuchner, that’s the day I’m going to quit darts.”

While the headlines were dominated by his comments, Van Gerwen’s performance itself was efficient, if not flawless.

He admitted one leg, where he struggled on double one frustrated him: “I had a couple of very good legs, but also one leg on double one — it was a disaster, that leg. But who cares? I won the game, and that’s the most important thing.”

For Van Gerwen, the bigger picture remains simple: “I think the crowd is enjoying themselves, and that’s the only thing that matters at the moment.”

Sindelfingen has long been a successful venue for the Dutchman, having lifted the title there twice before albeit his last was 2018. “One hundred percent. It’s been a long time since I won here, so I hope I can give it a good go tomorrow.”

Standing in his way next is Jermaine Wattimena, a player Van Gerwen knows extremely well — and has dominated historically. “Of course I’ve got a good record. I’ve known Jermaine for a very long time, since we were youth players. To be honest, I’ve always had the better of him.”

Still, he offered a note of caution: “He’s a good player, he’s in good shape at the moment and playing some good darts. So I need to make sure I play well tomorrow.”