Phil Taylor officially retires from darts and tells fans his future plans

Phil Taylor has confirmed he has retired from all forms of darts - seven years after his last professional match. Since calling it a day he has continued to feature in exhibitions, but will leave that and the sport for good.

One of most dominant individuals in history, Taylor won the World Championships on 16 occasions. His final professional outing ended in defeat when Rob Cross beat him on January 1 2018.

He's since performed in some seniors events, but several injuries and health issues have now seem him finish up with those. In a video message on his website he confirmed his retirement and joked: "If anybody wants to come and see me, I won’t be playing darts now. You can meet me, great me, have a picture with me, have a chat with me, but I won’t be playing darts anymore."

Taylor remains a huge draw, especially with darts fans, and plans to continue engaging with them around the country. He's continued to travel to take part in several events.

A statement from the 64-year-old on Tuesday read: "After a long and fantastic career over the last 40 years, I announce that from today I am retiring from playing darts. It has been a privilege to be part of such a vibrant and passionate community. I would like to thank each and everyone for your support through this incredible journey. Your encouragement and enthusiasm have been the driving force behind my success.

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"A journey which has enabled me to achieve more than I could have ever imagined. I am grateful for the friendships I’ve formed and the experiences I’ve shared. As one chapter closes, another one opens. This transition opens up new opportunities for me to explore and engage with the sport in different ways.

"I look forward to meeting fans old and new around the country and I will continue to update this website with future announcements. Please stay tuned for upcoming events, appearances, and projects that I am excited to undertake. Thank you once again for all the wonderful memories."

Taylor has previously offered to help mentor Luke Littler in an effort to help teenage prodigy reach his potential, but claimed he'd have to go and live with The Nuke to suss out what his habits are.

He previously told talkSPORT: “With young Luke, they have asked me if I would sit down with him and I said, ‘Of course, I will.’ But I would have to go and live with him for a few days, see what he is all about."

Littler has taken the sport by storm and has previously claimed he's backing himself to chase down Taylor's incredible haul of titles. "If I want the 16 then I’m sure I could possibly achieve it," he said.