"No one is going to beat Phil Taylor's record so he must go down as the greatest of all time" - Michael Smith and other top pros debate Taylor or Van Gerwen as darts' G.O.A.T.

The discussion has often crossed the minds of many darts fans, but who is the best dart player of all time, peak Michael van Gerwen or peak Phil Taylor? It's not only a topic that causes debate amongst fans, but with top players too.

Taylor and Van Gerwen played only partially in the same era, but when both were at their respective pomps, they dominated darts with an iron fist for a number years. Both players won particularly large numbers of major titles, and Van Gerwen only came powering in at the top of the darting scene when Taylor was already approaching 50. "Scoring I'd go Van Gerwen," former world champion Michael Smith tells MDA Events. "But overall, like you could never leave Phil of 160-something because it would just be gone. Overall I'd say Phil, but it was two different eras I guess. I know Phil was around when Michael was coming through but he's taken it to another level with crazy 100+ averages."

Read also

Darts not an Olympic sport for now: why is darts missing from the Olympics?

"There's loads if questions like that. In basketball for example, the thing is Michael Jordan or LeBron James?" Devon Petersen chimes in. "Everyone has their time though. People want to find the greatest of all time but you'll never find that because the game is always evolving."

"No one is going to beat Phil Taylor's record so he must go down as the greatest of all time," adds Smith, who is one of the few to have managed to beat the 16-time world champion at the World Darts Championship.

Van Gerwen (L) and Taylor (R) faced off in some of darts' biggest matches

'Rapid' Ricky Evans has a more outspoken opinion. "Taylor had the fear factor a bit more,'' he explains. "For me personally, I want to play Van Gerwen! Taylor scared opponents. Van Gerwen is brilliant don't get me wrong, but Taylor used to scare people off the board whereas Van Gerwen has got a bit more banter about him.

"With Taylor, all day you could feel his presence, you could feel that it was Phil Taylor," Petersen adds, echoing Evans' thoughts. "With MVG, he makes you want to play but Taylor, you were very wary of."

Subscribe to our Newsletter

Unlock your ultimate darts experience—subscribe today for exclusive access to top stories.

Subscribe