“Pietreczko has no balls”
“MvG” throws a poison arrow in the direction of this German darts professional
By Kevin Schulte, London
December 30, 2023, 5:13 p.m
As if the 3:4 defeat after a 3:1 lead wasn’t painful enough, darts professional Ricardo Pietreczko now also has to put up with insults. Superstar Michael van Gerwen deals against the German. Probably also because a Pietreczko victory would have made things easier for “MvG”.
Darts star Michael van Gerwen launched a verbal attack against German professional Ricardo Pietreczko after his confident entry into the World Cup quarter-finals. He led 3-1 against English World Cup favorite Luke Humphries and lost the game 3-4.
When Michael van Gerwen sat at the press conference on Friday evening after his convincing 4-0 win in the round of 16 against Stephen Bunting, the game between defending champion Michael Smith and Chris Dobey was playing on the television in the media room. “MvG” looked over just as Dobey took a 3-0 lead. “Oh dear, oh dear,” snorted van Gerwen. Shortly afterwards, the Dutchman was asked about his competitors’ problems. Wright? Already eliminated for two weeks. Price? Sensational out against Brendan Dolan. Smith? No chance against Dobey. Humphries? Had big problems against the German Ricardo Pietreczko.
“Humphries should have lost that game, to be clear. But, what’s his name again? Pietreczko. Pietreczko has no balls at all. That’s just how it is. I have to make sure I focus on myself,” said van Gerwen.
It is not the first time that the three-time world champion has competed against German competition. In the run-up to the World Cup, “Mighty Mike” had already heavily criticized the other two top German players in an interview with Sport1. “Martin Schindler is also a very good player. But he doesn’t have the balls that Gabriel Clemens has. Something is missing.”
Even though Germany’s number one, unlike Pietreczko and Schindler, has “balls” according to van Gerwen, he also got rid of his fat shortly before the start of the tournament. Clemens, a semi-finalist at the last World Cup, is only a “semi-top player,” van Gerwen told Sportbild. “If he were a top player, he would be playing in the Premier League. Or would have won major tournaments.”
“A tip in every interview”
Michael van Gerwen always attracts attention with pithy statements. After defeats, “MvG” is often meek and shows respect to his opponent. However, after winning games, the Dutchman often sends poison arrows in the direction of the other players. “Michael van Gerwen knows how to put himself in the spotlight. But it wouldn’t hurt him to just analyze his own game. He would get enough attention even without such statements. At times it seems as if he has made himself known to management and the media obliged to set a point in every interview,” comments Kevin Barth, expert at the specialist portal dartn.de, in an interview with ntv.
“Michael van Gerwen is not the only top player who acts like this. Peter Wright, Gerwyn Price and he regularly engage in private verbal duels. The media also plays a role in this because they often specifically address the players about the statements of their competitors and thus provoke verbal counterattacks,” adds Barth. The darts expert certainly sees parallels to boxing, where the fights of big stars not only take place in the ring, but often also verbally.
Duel with Humphries for first place?
If Humphries had lost in the third round, van Gerwen would have already been number one from January 4th. Instead, there could be a big showdown between the two world-class players in the semifinals. “MvG” has not lost a set at the World Cup so far, Luke Humphries has not been able to confirm his status as the top favorite in his first two games.
The potential clash with Humphries would not only be a duel for the final at Alexandra Palace in London, but also a final for number one status. The dethroned world champion Michael Smith no longer plays a role after his round of 16 exit against compatriot Chris Dobey (0:4). Smith has been top of the line since his World Cup triumph almost a year ago.
The bitter knockout did not come as a surprise; Smith had not looked like the confident world champion in previous tournaments and in his first two appearances in London. The “Bully Boy” appeared erratic and sometimes doubtful – a comeback against the furious Dobey seemed impossible long before the decisive throws. Despite his early retirement, Smith can’t switch off; in just a few days he’ll be on a plane to Germany. Next Saturday he can be seen at the Celebrity Darts World Championships in Düsseldorf.