In Germany, darts was considered an absolute fringe sport for many years. The game, also known as "Spicker" in some southern German regions, was played in pubs and taverns up and down the country, but in the public perception, it landed somewhere between online gambling with its no deposit bonus and rugby.

However, this has changed almost abruptly from one year to the next. Darts fever has broken out in Germany and if you are also interested in this sport and would like to get to know it, then you have come to the right place. We would like to present you the best players of the year 2023.

The main organisation running darts is called Professional Darts Corporation (PDC). The PDC Order of Merit is, so to speak, the world ranking list of all darts professionals. Since the last major reform of the Order of Merits in 2007, this list is considered one of the most important indicators when it comes to the question of who is the best player in the world. The rankings are based on all the prize money won, which in turn represents the ranking in the tournaments.

From the top of the Order of Merits table greets the British darts professional Michael Smith. The 33-year-old Englishman is rightly number 1, because the reigning world champion can point to prize money won in the amount of 1,272,000 million pounds. In addition to winning the 2023 World Darts Championship, winning the 2022 Grand Slam of Darts is also one of his greatest successes.

The Dutch darts professional Michael van Gerwen is one of the most successful players ever. Van Gerwen holds the record for the most PDC Pro Tour titles with 81. His prize money won adds up to 1,104,250 million pounds. He is therefore only just behind the leader Michael Smith.

With prize money won amounting to 1,025.250 million pounds, Peter Wright is in third position. The 53-year-old Scot thus completes the top 3 and not without reason. Wright has been a professional for almost 20 years and during this time has celebrated successes such as winning the 2022 World Darts Championship.

First from Wales in fourth place is, Gerwyn Price. Price could celebrate successes like winning the World Cup of Darts in 2023. The balance of his won prize money looks accordingly as Price won a whopping 758,250 pounds.

Active since 2012, English darts professional Nathan Aspinall is ranked fifth in the Order of Merit. Among his greatest achievements of 2023 is certainly to have won the World Matchplay. Aspinall, who goes by the nickname The Asp, is only just behind his compatriot Gerwyn Price with prize money of 671,000 pounds.

The World Darts Championship has meanwhile become a kind of cult event in Germany. It is played every year at the same time in December and January at the same venue, the Alexandra Palace in London. The record winner is once again a Briton, Phil Taylor. But at the 2023 World Championship, Gabriel Clemens, a German professional, could also put an exclamation mark by his name.

It is not too much of a surprise that Michael Smith was also on top at this event. As reigning World Champion and Order of Merit leader, the Englishman is undoubtedly the best darts player worldwide at the moment. In the final Smith prevailed quite sovereign against his perhaps eternal rival Michael van Gerwen.

As a World Championship finalist, Michael van Gerwen is also the runner-up in the World Championship and is therefore also one of the best darts professionals at the moment. Practically no year goes by without van Gerwen winning one of the most important darts tournaments ever. The fact that he is always good for a tournament win makes him a top favorite practically everywhere.

It is much more surprising that among the British-dominated best professional players, Gabriel Clemens, a German, could also secure a place among the best in the world. At the 2023 World Darts Championship he only had to admit defeat in the semi-finals to the eventual tournament winner Michael Smith. On his way to the semi-finals Clemens set a big exclamation mark with the win against Welshman Gerwyn Price.

The fourth player in the group is also a bit of a surprise. The Belgian Dimitri Van den Bergh, who lives in England, was only ranked 13th in the Order of Merit, but he deservedly entered the semi-finals of the World Darts Championship. There, however, his Dutch neighbor van Gerwen was a number too big.

Experience plays a particularly important role in darts. This becomes especially clear when you take a closer look at the best players in the world. They have all been playing at the absolute top level for years, which is why the chances are not bad that they will continue to shape the professional darts sport in the future.