Matthew Edgar sees signs of the ‘old’ Van Gerwen again: "I see the cheeky chappy back again, there’s swagger about him"

The first months of the season offered reason for optimism around Michael van Gerwen. According to analyst and former professional darter Matthew Edgar, the Dutchman was clearly on the rise until illness threw a spanner in the works.

“But that’s just facts—that’s not even my opinion on it. Van Gerwen is in a very big, important season for him right now," said Edgar on Online Darts. "I think it’s a shame he fell ill recently because he played exceptional on the ProTour. He won that Premier League night and was looking brilliant at the start of the year. And then that illness could just have sideswiped him a bit.”

That setback came just as Van Gerwen was showing signs of his old form. He won a World Series event, reached another final, and also bagged a nightly win in the Premier League. “I think it’s a shame he fell ill recently because he played exceptional on the ProTour… he was looking brilliant at the start of the year.”

The context makes 2026 especially crucial for the three-time world champion, according to Edgar. With prize money to defend, notably from the World Championship, his ranking is under pressure. “Right now, on the year-to-end rankings, he’s 21st, so outside the top 16—and that’s because he’s defending that World Championship money. Now he’s in a lot of big events, he’s not going to go out early in them all, but there’s a genuine world where Michael van Gerwen could be outside the world’s top 16, because the players are playing well around that area.”

That situation makes him vulnerable. “So it’s a big, big year for him. It’s kind of a big shame that he got that illness, because at the start of the year it was going right—okay, he’s looking good.”

Although Edgar says he hasn’t seen Van Gerwen live recently, a few things stand out to him from clips and highlights. “From what I’ve seen—I shouldn’t be judging off that—but what I do see, I see the cheeky chappy back again. There’s swagger about him again.”

According to Edgar, that is an essential part of Van Gerwen’s success.

“Michael van Gerwen at his best is cheeky, he’s boisterous, he says what he thinks, he says what he wants, and he enjoys what he says. When he’s quiet and he’s not reactive to stuff like that, he’s not his best.”

One specific moment stuck with Edgar: a light-hearted interaction between Van Gerwen and Luke Humphries. “I saw a video of him and Luke Humphries—he puts his arm around Luke and gives him a little tap. When I watched that, I’m thinking Michael van Gerwen right now—in that video, as an assessment—he’s the daddy. He’s the guy in control of this moment.”

Michael van Gerwen faces a pivotal year with a lot of prize money to defend. Edgar even draws a striking comparison with the world of professional wrestling to illustrate his point.

“You can pick points out in time where tiny little things have such a big impact… those little movements there, Michael just commanding the attention indirectly—you can’t help it. He’s starting to do all those, whether he realises it or not, he’s catching the eye.”

For him, that is an important indicator. “He actually commands the attention… and he’s catching the eye. Now it’s go do it on the board—and that’s where it’s a shame that the illness came.”

Recent results show that Van Gerwen can still mix it with the absolute elite. He reached a Pro Tour semi-final, where he lost to a strong-performing Humphries. “You had a ProTour semi-final this weekend as well—lost to an inspired Luke Humphries—but there are positive signs right now.”

That question, he says, is hard to answer definitively. “I would never say no. Michael van Gerwen is the second greatest player of all time—to some people, the greatest player of all time. If he went and won an event, you’d go, okay, I’m not surprised.”

At the same time, Edgar also sees the other scenario. “On the same aspect, if he didn’t go win one, you’d go—maybe you could see that coming, with what’s going on, the rankings, all these side stories.”

Ultimately, Edgar refuses to deliver a definitive verdict on the rest of Van Gerwen’s season. “It’s one of them where the jury’s out. I kind of don’t have a direct opinion on the direction it’s going to go, because you can make a valid case either way round. I can sit here and tell you why he will, I can sit here and tell you why he won’t—none of which outweigh the other. Over to you.”