Van der Voort doesn't see a new Van Gerwen coming out of Netherlands: "You have to be that honest"

Vincent van der Voort has witnessed the rise of Michael van Gerwen up close with the two Dutch darting stars being good friends for years.

The friendship between the duo started during a tournament in 2006. "I thought he was a funny little guy. A bit irritating now and then. He was pestering everyone. Not me, because I had quickly made it clear that he should not do that to me, '' laughs Van der Voort in conversation with NOS.

"When I see all those guys who are between 17 and 21 years old, there is no one who is as good as Michael was when he was seventeen. You have to be that honest, '' he continued.

According to him, this is also because the step from the amateurs to the professionals or even the top 10 of the world rankings is very big. '' There has to be one who can also make the step to the top 10 and whether they can? It's not like you just do that. ''

Van Gerwen himself concurs with the comments of his fellow player. “There is little growth. A lot of players participate to participate. There are few real winners, '' he agreed with Van der Voort.