'It saddened me, broke my heart a little bit' - Phil Taylor relieves heartbreaking comment Eric Bristow told him

Phil Taylor and Eric Bristow are two of the most iconic and legendary players to have thrown a dart. Their legacy has been etched into darting folklore, with many reminiscing on their brilliance. However, nothing lasts forever, and Taylor found that out the hard way when Bristow told him that he was past his best.

The five-time world champion took Taylor under his wing, mentoring and guiding him to what would be greatness. The Power blew away Bristow's record tally of World Championships, claiming 16 among a variety of other majors and awards in a hugely decorated career.

When they first began their partnership, Bristow had started to struggle with dartitis, something that would prevent him from competing with the best. His form drifted away, and when The Power found out about it, he was devastated.

"There was also one time [with] Eric, when his career was kind of coming to an end," Taylor said in an interview on Stephen Hendry's Cue Tips. "And he shouted me across, ‘Phil come here a second.’ He said, ‘See all these here?’ I said, ‘Yeah?’ He said, ‘They’re talking to me.’ What’s wrong with that? He said, ‘They never speak to me when I was number one in the world.’ He says, ‘You know what that means, don’t you?’ I went, ‘What?’ He says, ‘I’m no good anymore.’ And it broke [me], it saddened me you know? Broke my heart a little bit. I said, ‘Don’t be daft.’ I had it. I was there and all the players were talking to him and I went, ‘Yeah, get back on that practice board, Taylor. They’re talking to you.’”