There’s few who can contend with Michael van Gerwen when it comes to placing darts, and it turns out the same can be said for bathroom tiles.
The Dutchman has become one of dart’s undisputed all-time greats during a career at the top of the game, winning three PDC World Championship titles.
He also reigned as world number one for an astonishing seven years between 2014 and 2021, becoming an Ally Pally legend, while he was involved in arguably the greatest leg in darts history in his 2023 final defeat to Michael Smith.
Before that, though, Van Gerwen wasn’t too bad at his original job as a tiler either.
In fact, he was so good that he one day got his biggest job doing the bathroom of Arsenal legend Dennis Bergkamp.
“Yes, it’s true – when I was a teenager, I used to work as a tiler back home in Holland, and the biggest job I ever had was putting up the tiles in Dennis Bergkamp’s bathroom,” he told The Mirror.
“He lived in a massive house near Hilversum, it was a beautiful place and the kind of luxury you can only dream about when you are a kid starting out as a darts player.
“We had to make sure we did a really good job on it. You don’t want to mess up when you are working for a legend like Bergkamp.”
Van Gerwen could only dream of his countryman’s riches, but many years later he might not be too far behind.
It’s estimated the Brabant-native has an estimated net worth of £5.6million, something he never expected when he started taking darts seriously.
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“When I was fitting those tiles, I never thought I would be a millionaire by the time I was 24,” he said.
“But it proves that if you work hard and do well at the major tournaments, you can make a good living out of being a professional darts player.
“I don’t think I would have been this rich if I had worked as a tiler until I was 70.”
As well as a house with a swimming pool, Van Gerwen loves his cars and has an amazing collection, including including a Rolls-Royce Ghost worth £250,000 in addition to his BMW motors thanks to a sponsorship.
Though darts is a much smaller sport than football, ‘Mighty Mike’ is quite rightly a legend in his home country and abroad.
So much so, that in 2018 was appointed a Knight of the Order of Orange-Nassau by the King of the Netherlands, a level of sporting greatness on par with Bergkamp and the Dutch equivalent of an MBE.
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When asked if he’d ever met one of the Netherlands’ other most famous players since working at his house, Van Gerwen said he was still waiting for a reunion.
“I know Tim Krul is a big darts fan as well, and when I get married, my best man will be Vincent van der Voort – who became good friends with Rafael van der Vaart while he was playing for Tottenham,” he explained.
He also said he is unsure if Bergkamp is a darts fan but would have had no problem sorting him tickets out during his heyday.
“But if he needs any more tiles fitting, I will have to recommend my old workmates. I don’t even have the time to put up the tiles in my own bathroom now, and darts are now the tools of my trade.”
Van Gerwen will return to Alexandra Palace this month eyeing his fourth PDC World title.
Where to buy Luke Littler’s darts range
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Luke ‘The Nuke’ Littler has released a collection with Target Darts, with prices starting at just £14.95.
Choose from darts, hardware and accessories endorsed by the Grand Slam of Darts Champion 2024, or pick up The Nuke’s purple playing shirt, on the Target Darts website.
Highlights include: