What Is Michael van Gerwen's Net Worth?
Michael van Gerwen is a Dutch professional darts player who has a net worth of $8 million. Michael van Gerwen won the PDC World Championship in 2014, 2017, and 2019, and from 2014 to 2021, he was the #1 ranked player in the world.
He has won seven Premier League tournaments and PC Finals, six World Grand Prix tournaments, five World Series Finals and Masters tournaments, four European Championships, three PDC World Darts Championships, World Matchplay tournaments, UK Opens, and Grand Slams, and one Champions League of Darts tournament. At the age of 17, Michael won the World Masters tournament, and he became the youngest player to throw a nine-dart finish on television when he competed in the 2007 Masters of Darts. When he was 24, van Gerwen became the youngest player to win the PDC World Championship. He has won more PDC Pro Tour events than any other player, and as of October 2023, he had won nearly 160 singles titles.
Career Earnings
Michael van Gerwen is the highest-earning professional darts player of all time. As of this writing he has won more than $7 million in prize money alone, not including endorsements. His rival Phil Taylor has earned around $6 million.
Early Life
Michael van Gerwen was born on April 25, 1989, in Boxtel, Netherlands. He played football during his youth, and at the age of 13, he switched his focus to darts. When he was 14, van Gerwen made it to the final of the 2003 Primus Masters Youth event. In 2005, he started winning youth titles such as the German Gold Cup, German Open, Swedish Open, Northern Ireland Open, Norway Open, and Dutch National Youth Championship. Michael worked part-time as a tiler before becoming a professional darts player.
British Darts Organisation (BDO) Career
Michael won several Open titles, and by the time he turned 18, he had climbed to #3 in the BDO/WDF World Rankings. He made it to the semifinals of the 2006 Bavaria World Darts Trophy, coming within one dart of a perfect finish. In 2006, he became the youngest winner of the Winmau World Masters at the age of 17 years and 174 days. His success led many to speculate that van Gerwen would join the Professional Darts Corporation, but he announced during the 2006 World Darts Trophy that he intended to stay with the BDO/WDF. He finished at the top of the Dutch Darts Federation (DDF) Rankings, which would've earned him a spot in the PDC World Championship. Bookies had chosen Michael as their pre-tournament favorite to win the Lakeside World title in 2007, but he lost 3-2 to Gary Robson. It was announced on the day of the 2007 BDO World Championship final that van Gerwen had decided to move to the Professional Darts Corporation.
Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) Career
Michael started out at #88 in the PDC World Rankings. When he was a BDO player, van Gerwen was eligible for some PDC events, such as the 2006 Open Holland (which he won). He reached the semi-final of the 2007 Masters of Darts tournament but lost to Raymond van Barneveld despite a perfect nine-dart finish. In April 2009, he defeated Vincent van der Voort in the Players Championship final. Michael lost to Arron Monk in the 2011 PDC Under-21 World Championship final, which was part of the PDC World Championship. He reached the final 16 in the 2012 World Championship, and that year he won the award for Young Player of the Year at the PDC awards ceremony. He won the second qualifier for the 2012 UK Open but lost the UK Open to Terry Jenkins in the final 16. Just before the 2012 PDC World Youth Championship, van Gerwen was at the top of the PDC Youth Tour Order of Merit, but he lost to James Hubbard in the final. He won 2012's eighth Players Championship event and made it to the quarter-final of the World Matchplay before winning the 11th Players Championship with a 107.85 average. Michael won the 2012 World Grand Prix, earning a £100,000 prize, and the following week he won another Players Championship. All total, he had eight tournament wins in 2012. In 2013, he was named the PDC Young Player of the Year, PDC Fans' Player of the Year, and PDPA Players' Player of the Year, and he won the Premier League tournament and Players Championship Finals.
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In 2014, van Gerwen won the PDC World Championship, World Darts Championship, World Grand Prix, and European Championship, and he was ranked #1 in the world for the first time. In 2015, he won The Masters, UK Open, World Matchplay, European Championship, Grand Slam of Darts, World Series of Darts Finals, and Players Championship Finals, followed by The Masters, UK Open, Premier League, World Matchplay, World Grand Prix, European Championship, Grand Slam of Darts, World Series of Darts Finals, and Players Championship Finals in 2016. In 2017, Michael set the highest average (114.05) in the history of the PDC World Championship, and he won the World Darts Championship, The Masters, Premier League, European Championship, Grand Slam of Darts, World Series of Darts Finals, and Players Championship Finals. In 2018, he won The Masters, Premier League, and World Grand Prix and was runner-up at the Players Championship Finals. In 2019, van Gerwen became the first person to win 30 European Tour titles, broke the record for the most ProTour titles with his 71st win, and won the World Darts Championship, The Masters, Premier League, World Grand Prix, Champions League of Darts, World Series of Darts Finals, and Players Championship Finals. He then won the 2020 UK Open and Players Championship Finals and was runner-up at the European Championship. In 2022, Michael won the Premier League, World Matchplay, World Grand Prix, and Players Championship Finals, and in 2023, he won the Premier League and World Series of Darts Finals and broke the record for the highest average (118.52) at the Players Championship Finals.
Personal Life
In August 2014, van Gerwen married Daphne Govers. The couple welcomed daughter Zoë in August 2017 and son Mike in April 2020. Michael is a fan of PSV Eindhoven, a Dutch football club that won the 1978 UEFA Cup and the 1987–88 European Cup. In 2018, he was made a Knight of the Order of Orange-Nassau, a Dutch order of chivalry that is awarded to people who have "performed acts of special merits for society." Michael said of the award, "It is a wonderful honour for me. It is something really special and something I didn't expect so young. I am told I am the youngest to receive this award so I am really very proud. It is a great occasion for me and my family and I will always be very proud."
Awards
Michael was named PDC Young Player of the Year in 2012 and 2013. He won the PDC Fans' Player of the Year award in 2013 and PDPA Players' Player of the Year award in 2013 and 2016. He was named the PDC Player of the Year and the Best ProTour Player in 2016.
