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Rob Cross was less than pleased with a fan who tried to get him to sign a Michael van Gerwen shirt.
The 2018 World Darts champion was competing at the European Open in the German city of Leverkusen against Ricardo Pietreczko this past weekend. And, while walking to the oche, the 32-year-old encountered a member of the audience donning the trademark green shirt worn by the Dutchman.
The fan attempted to give Cross a pen to sign his shirt but, instead, the darts star gave the fan a fist bump when he realised what it was and savagely said: “I won’t sign that s**t.” He continued to smile and completed his walk to the oche as he went on to defeat Pietreczko 6-5.
READ MORE: Van Gerwen says 'boring' Rob Cross can have no complaints about Premier League snub
This included a superb 140 checkout to go 3-2 up and a 72 checkout to seal the deal in a tense decider. Cross faced Dirk Van Duijvenbode in the semi-final, losing 7-6 to the Dutchman.
Cross and Van Gerwen have, of course, come up against each other plenty of times before, including in 2022 when MVG beat the Brit to win his seventh PDC Players Championship Finals title in 10 years. Considering that rivalry, Cross probably isn't too keen whenever he sees a replica green shirt, which Van Gerwen wears without fail every time he takes to the stage.
"The green shirt is part of me. Everyone knows me in green," MVG said back in 2018. “Sometimes when I’m walking in the street people stop me and say ‘I didn’t recognise you without your darts shirt’.
“It’s not that I picked the green colour just that I used it once and felt comfortable. It’s not even my favourite colour! My favourite colour is blue.”
That rivalry has also had other heated points, particularly when MVG claimed back in January that Rob Cross had been overlooked for a Premier League darts place because he is "boring". As well as Cross, who reached the final of The Masters, there was no place for world number five Luke Humphries, nor European champion Ross Smith and UK Open winner Danny Noppert.
Despite insisting he would not have accepted a spot in the Premier League had he been offered one, MVG claimed Cross’ personality is not ideal for the Premier League, while also criticising Voltage's conduct on stage.
“That cynical stuff, I find it weird,” Van Gerwen, who was knocked out of The Masters by Cross, told Viaplay. “You can't say anything about his qualities though. He's a fantastic player."
He added: “Do you know why it is that the PDC didn't choose him for the Premier League? It's because the PDC also thinks he's a boring player. You either have that or you don't. Either you're a player with character, or you're not. He just doesn't have it. That silly laughing and acting."
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- Michael van Gerwen
- Rob Cross
- Darts
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