Phil Taylor is the 16-time world champion who revolutionised darts… but he ‘left his daughters neglected on benefit’ and got cranky with opponents, as he retires again at 64 with ‘the worst pain I’ve ever suffered’

Phil Taylor retires once again as the most decorated darts player ever and as a man whose life away from the oche made as many headlines as his exploits on it.

Taylor, 64, is riding high with a record 16 World Championships to his name and an undefeated 85 major titles. In total he has won 214 tournaments and more than 100 televised finals.

He announced last year that this would be his last participation in the World Senior Darts Tour, but he will not make it to the final event.

The World Seniors Masters in November would have been his swan song but he has struggled to recover after a hip injury and surgery that left him in ‘the worst pain ever’.

An unfortunate ending that leaves ‘The Power’ unable to throw a dart, but what a time it was. Here, Mail Sport recaps some of the more eye-catching moments along the way.

Taylor’s career is estimated to have earned him more than £10 million. He has come a long way from the boy who left school at 15 to earn £9 a week in a sheet metal factory.

He is one of darts’ original heroes, helping to catapult the working-class sport into a sport that gets primetime TV slots and sells out Alexandra Palace.

His reputation peaked in 2010 when he came second to AP McCoy in the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award, but he was also a divisive figure for an often prickly personality.

Forged in Stoke-on-Trent, Taylor was always unafraid to speak his mind and act as he saw fit – even when things looked bad.

In 2015, it emerged that two of his daughters were living on benefits after he removed them from his life following his divorce from their mother Yvonne.

Kelly and Natalie Taylor said they felt “neglected” by their 16-time world champion father, who they claimed “traveled” with celebrities and helped their older siblings.

“We’ve tried to reach him again and again – we have to go through his PA – but he refuses to give us his number,” said Kelly, who had self-harmed and suffered from depression and claimed to be living in a hostel. ‘full of drug addicts and prostitutes’.

Natalie said he had been a good father when they were young, but their relationship with him was damaged after Taylor was found guilty of assaulting two women in 2001.

She said her poor school results also caused them to fall further apart, with the final straw coming at their grandmother’s funeral when Taylor did not speak to her.

Speaking of her other siblings, Natalie said: “He gave them houses and a car. They fly around the world with him and have a wonderful life. He’s great with my sister’s kids.’

‘The Power’ was awarded an MBE in 2001, but it was annulled after an unsavory revelation involving two female fans in the back of his camper van. For this he was fined £2,000.

He said it would have been “the happiest day of my life” if he had taken his mother to Buckingham Palace and received the Queen’s award but never got the chance.

Not that he was too worried. “Medals don’t pay the bills or put food in your refrigerator,” he said.

Having Taylor’s longevity requires incredible determination. He first turned pro in 1987 and lasted until his retirement in 2018 before returning in 2022. Years spent dragging himself to venues around the world and repeating the same move against the same opponents.

It took its toll. Over the summer, Taylor had to undergo hip surgery and it is ultimately this issue that led to his second retirement.

‘It wasn’t too bad. A bit sore at first but I’ve just had some painkillers,” he told YO1 radio.

‘It was strange. The surgeon said to me, ‘You have one leg longer than the other, and I have taken you to a higher level!

‘It feels strange. It’s just incredibly weird.’

The recovery process has brutalized him and left him unable to do what he loves. After initial optimism, he will not reach that final tournament.

‘I’m having a bit of trouble with my hip. Scar tissue,” Taylor shared Online darts. ‘Everything went fine, but then I did a little too much and apparently I tore my scar tissue. So yeah, it’s a little painful.

‘It’s the worst pain I’ve ever had in the last 12 months. Honestly, I’ll be happy when this year is over,” he continued.

‘Everything goes well with practice, but after playing for a few hours you get really bad pain in the hip. It’s like a toothache and it drives me crazy, it really does.’

Looking back on his career, Taylor remained optimistic about the experiences he had: “It’s been an incredible journey over the last 35 years and I’ve loved every minute of it.

“I will always love to perform to the best of my ability, but time waits for no one and I know this is the right time to retire from the Tour.

“I’m going to work as hard as ever to make sure I give the fans what they want and look my best.”

He has definitely been a Marmite figure, vocal when he wants to talk about something or verbally jab an opponent.

He directed angry words and gestures at Raymond van Barneveld after a semi-final defeat at Ally Pally in 2012. Taylor later said his reaction was sparked by an overly firm handshake as he apologized to his great rival.

Taylor’s reaction to Gary Anderson winning his first ever world title in 2015 was equally icy. After hitting the match-winning double to seal a dramatic 7-6 win, Anderson turned and shook hands with Taylor, who gave him the cold shoulder immediately after his historic victory.

In August 2017, he mocked Corey Cadby by pretending to wipe his bum on the Australian’s towel before throwing it on the ground. After that match, Taylor threw a pen at Cadby when the youngster turned down the chance to sign the sign with him.

Love him or loathe him, there’s no denying his legendary status.

Taylor won 16 World Championships during his professional career, winning his first BDO World Championship in 1990 and his first PDC World Championship in 1995. Oh, and 16 World Match Play Championships to boot.

He won the championship eight times in a row, and then again in his career – the last time was in 2013 when he defeated Michael van Gerwen 7-4.

Taylor reached a total of 21 World Cup finals, won six Premier League titles and led England to World Cup glory four times. He won 214 professional titles and a record 85 majors in his career.

Mail Sport has contacted Taylor’s camp for comment.