Michael Smith is without doubt one of the more popular players on the darts circuit and there is plenty to unpack when it comes to his career to date.
In 2023, Smith reached the pinnacle of the sport when he achieved a lifelong dream by winning his maiden World Darts Championship title by beating Michael van Gerwen in the final.
In winning 7-4 he ended years of always being the bridesmaid to enjoy his own moment in the sunshine on the stage at Alexandra Palace with the famous trophy held aloft.
Smith came through a quarter-final with Stephen Bunting and a last-four clash against Gabriel Clemens to set up the contest with Mighty Mike and the final was a true spectacle.
The St Helens thrower produced some truly remarkable darts on the night to deny Van Gerwen a fourth World Darts Championship crown in a match that will go down as one of the best ever.
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Michael Smith nine-dart leg during 2023 World Darts Championship final
Only two players in history have achieved a perfect leg of darts during the World Darts Championship Final – with Smith the latest to achieve the feat during the 2023 classic.
The key moment was made all the more special by the fact that Van Gerwen himself had missed a dart to get the perfect leg, epitomising the brilliance of the match.
Stick it on YouTube and it’s impossible not to get chills watching it. The moment is captured beautifully by Wayne Mardle of Sky Sports who called it ‘The most amazing leg of darts I’ve ever seen’.
It came in the second set with Smith trailing 1-0 in sets but this leg saw him go 2-1 up in legs and he ended up seizing the momentum and restoring parity with the Dutchman.
Michael Smith’s reign as World Darts Champion
In truth, Smith did struggle to really kick on after the win and would enjoy a pretty quiet 2023 by his usual high standards and that of a reigning World Champion.
He would reach only one semi-final during the television events and that came at the World Grand Prix where he enjoyed his best-ever finish at the tournament.
He lost in one first round, two second rounds and also suffered elimination at the round-robin stage of the Grand Slam of Darts.
Since being crowned World Champion, Smith hasn’t won a big tournament on television on his own, although he did taste World Cup glory with Luke Humphries earlier this year.
Still, if anyone deserves to win a World Darts Championship it’s Smith. He failed in no fewer than eight major finals before claiming his first by winning the Grand Slam just before his successful run at the Ally Pally.
Smith was runner-up in two World Championship finals before his victory over Van Gerwen finally etched his name on the trophy to end years of heartache at the tournament.
At 34-years-old, Smith has time on his side in a sport like darts and with a natural throwing technique it feels almost certain that he will get back to the winner’s circle at some point again.
This leg of darts is something that can never be taken away from Smith. It was truly mesmerising and is something that will go down in history given the pressure of the situation and the quality of the opposition.