MICHAEL SMITH looks unrecognisable in a clip from the 2013 World Youth Darts Championship doing the rounds online.
A video has surfaced of a fresh faced “Bully Boy” taking on Ricky Evans nine years ago.
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In the clip, Smith is seen wearing his hair in a dramatic mohawk style, complete with racing lines.
Aged 22 at the time, Smith appeared without the beard that his fans will be accustomed to seeing now.
He beat Evans 6-1 to lift the title as the second seed on that occasion.
And he will be dreaming of a similar result later today, when he takes on Michael van Gerwen.
Smith, now 32 and still supporting a toned-down mohawk, defeated Germany’s Gabriel Clemens 6-2 in the semi-finals to set up the final clash.
Prior to Van Gerwen’s 6-0 rout of Dimitri Van den Bergh in the other semi, Smith spoke to Sky Sports about the prospect of facing him in the final.
He said: “Michael’s the odds-on favourite, he’s played really well, but everyone can have a bad game.
“If it’s not today, hopefully it’s tomorrow.
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“I’ve not been the best apart from when I played Joe Cullen but I’ve stepped up when I’ve needed to.
“Hopefully tomorrow I can step up again.”
The match up will be a repeat of the 2019 final, when Van Gerwen triumphed 7-3 over Smith.
The confident Dutchman is expecting a similar result this time around, telling Sky Sports of his opponent: “He’s not going to stop me, no-one is going to stop me.
“The crowd deserves a final like this. Myself against Michael Smith in the final – I think it’s good for darts.”
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