Phil Taylor is undoubtedly the greatest player to ever grace the oche.
His list of achievements is nearly endless but his 16 World Championships and 16 World Matchplays stand head and shoulders above everything else.
His title haul dwarfs that of other sporting greats such as Roger Federer, Lewis Hamilton and Cristiano Ronaldo, but more and more it seems the great man is undervalued.
Few fans and players of the previous generation would doubt Taylor’s status as the greatest of all time, but part of the new generation of darts fans has called this into question.
Instead, many earmark Michael van Gerwen as the greatest of all time who had a stranglehold over the sport from 2012-2018 as Taylor wound down his professional career.
What are people saying about Phil Taylor?
Darts has evolved greatly since Taylor made his debut in 1987.
As more money entered the game, the competition grew fiercer, and the field is arguably the strongest it’s ever been today.
Thus, many have used the argument that Van Gerwen is greater because Taylor had little competition.
Speaking on the MDA YouTube channel, even Chris Dobey, Joe Cullen and Nathan Aspinall all labelled the Dutchman as the greatest in his prime.
Taylor’s numbers, however, speak for themselves.
The Stoke-on-Trent man has had nine televised averages in excess of 115 and his career average from his 774 recorded matches is 101.28 – higher than any other player.
Newly crowned World Matchplay Champion Luke Humphries noted Taylor’s brilliance after he lifted the aptly named Phil Taylor trophy two weeks ago.
Speaking to Darts Now, he said: “I don’t think Phil Taylor gets the real credit he deserves.
“I think I’ve played a fantastic tournament; what’s my tournament average? Probably 102, he’s done 104 plus five times.
“I think he doesn’t get that credit he deserves.”
He added: “The things he achieved, there will just be no one ever as good as him. I don’t think I’ll ever see it in my lifetime to be honest.”
Taylor a victim of recency bias
It often happens in sport that the greats of a bygone era are overlooked in favour of their modern-day counterparts.
Van Gerwen in his prime was nearly superhuman and he deserves all the credit he gets for his achievements and his contribution to darts.
Though some argue Taylor’s competition wasn’t as strong, he has had to contend with some of the game’s greats – and he’s beaten them all many times.
Over his 30-year career, the PDC Hall of Famer dominated the likes of Eric Bristow, John Lowe, Dennis Priestley, Raymond van Barneveld and Gary Anderson.
He even has a winning record over Van Gerwen, beating his Dutch opponent in 54.84% of their meetings.
Dominance over a sustained period is the hardest thing in sport and few have sustained it over several decades.
Van Gerwen’s peak lasted approximately six years and Van Barneveld’s success was patchy after his switch to the PDC.
Whilst players had their natural peaks and troughs, Taylor dominated the landscape from debut to retirement, epitomised by lifting the World Matchplay in his final year as well as reaching the World Championship final.
Increasingly, darts is becoming a younger person’s game.
Humphries and teenager Luke Littler are two of the leading lights in the game and if both keep their desire and hunger, maybe Taylor’s status as the greatest of all time will be under threat.
However, for the next 20 years at least, Philip Douglas Taylor will remain the undisputed ‘GOAT’ of darts.