For more than a decade, Michael Smith’s presence among the elite tier of professional darts appeared almost immovable. However, a significant milestone has now been reached for reasons the former world champion would rather avoid, having recently fallen outside the world’s top 32 for the first time since 2013.
Many of our sports champions have endured fading powers and a slow slide down the various ranking tables. Few have managed to reverse that decline to any significant level and fewer still have sustained such a recovery. On the flip side Smith is younger than those other titans, his peak is far closer, and he could look to the example of darts icon to show him the way.
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The latest PDC Order of Merit confirms Smith has slipped to 33rd position, marking another sobering chapter in what has been a prolonged and unforeseen decline from the pinnacle of the sport. Only three years ago, the St Helens thrower occupied the summit of world darts following his historic triumph at Alexandra Palace, where he secured his maiden World Championship crown and ascended to world number one.
Since then, a succession of physical ailments has severely impeded both his competitive consistency and preparation. Persistent ankle and wrist complications, attributed to arthritis, have gradually eroded his ranking position and limited his ability to replicate the scintillating form that once established him as one of the most feared scorers in the game.
At present, Smith holds £304,500 on the rolling two-year Order of Merit. His position on the 2026 year-to-date rankings offers further evidence of the challenges he faces, with earnings of £53,000 placing him 36th on that particular list.
Last month, the 35-year-old provided a candid and revealing insight into the extent of the physical difficulties that have disrupted his campaign. In a statement posted on social media, Smith detailed the ongoing battle he has been fighting away from the oche.
He wrote:
“Since I played pro tours in Milton Keynes and made the final my ankles haven’t been in a great place with constant swelling and being unable to walk for four/five days straight.
“Then after spending nine days in Germany, three flights and 13 hours on a train the problems have arisen again and to top it off an eye infection thrown in.
“So having cancelled my appointments twice for my cortisone injections I’ve decided I can’t cancel a third time as it really needs sorting.
“So I’m gutted to be saying I won’t be playing in Riesa this weekend so I can get to my appointment Friday and hopefully sort it out.”
Despite those considerable obstacles, glimpses of Smith’s celebrated brilliance have still surfaced during the current season. He reached the final of Players Championship 11 and also produced commendable performances on the European Tour, advancing to two quarter-finals against increasingly competitive fields.
Yet such moments have proved sporadic rather than sustained. Consistency, once a defining characteristic of Smith’s rise through the sport, has become increasingly elusive as fitness concerns continue to interrupt momentum.
With the World Matchplay rapidly approaching, the former champion now faces a critical period in his career. The task before him is not merely to recover ranking positions but to rediscover the physical robustness and competitive rhythm that previously enabled him to establish himself among the sport’s pre-eminent figures.
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Although not an exact parallel, Smith can find heart in the remarkable career of Steve Beaton. ‘The Bronzed Adonis’, a former Lakeside World Champion, fell out of the PDC’s top 32 in the 2007/2008 season.
Beaton battled back and enjoyed a further decade in the higher echelons of the PDC and only stepped out on his own terms aged 60. Bullyboy Smith, 35, is 8 years younger than Steve was when he temporarily dropped out of the top 32.
A return to the top 32 remains entirely achievable, but the margin for error is becoming progressively narrower with each passing event.
Images: PDC
