58-year-old darting royalty Raymond van Barneveld will either retire or drop heavy hints about it...
PDC legend and 5-time World champion Raymond van Barneveld flirts with retirement… again originally appeared on The Sporting News
Once a year, there are a few things you can bank on in life: the Earth will complete another full revolution of the sun, a serial killer will inevitably pop up in a TV soap opera, and 58-year-old darting royalty Raymond van Barneveld will either retire or drop heavy hints about it.
For 2025, the five-time World Champion has gone for the not quite retiring, but don’t rule it out approach, describing darts’ hectic calendar as murder and admitting the end could be looming.
Now, while it’s true there are tougher jobs in the world with far less glamorous pay packets, the life of a professional darts player isn’t quite the champagne-and-fanfares existence it looks like on TV.
This year has been a struggle for Barney. A single quarter-final on the Pro Tour is all he has to show for his efforts so far. As a result, he’s slipped outside the world’s top 32 - and once you’re out, the climb back up is brutal, no matter your age or your past glories.
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It also means the Dutchman doesn’t enjoy the luxury of cherry-picking tournaments. Luke Littler, for instance, can glance at the calendar, see a Players Championship in Germany, and decide Disneyworld is a better use of his time. When you’re the reigning World Champion, you get to decide whether an old aircraft hangar in Hildesheim really is the happiest place on Earth. Barney, by contrast, has to turn up everywhere and hope for points.
Speaking to Boyle Sports, he laid his situation bare:
“At the moment, I’m 58, so I’m thinking about 60, 61, but if I still like it, why not continue? I gave up a couple of years ago and I really missed it. I must be honest, the schedule is murder at the moment.
“It’s really a lot because the PDC organises the Pro Tours mid-week. Normally, it was on the weekend, the Pro Tour, then one weekend later, a Euro tour, or a major and never the Pro Tours midweeks. Now they do the Pro Tours midweek and on the weekend, the Euro Tours or Majors. So it’s really a lot.
“I heard a lot of players complaining and they skip sometimes when it’s possible, but I’m not in a position to skip, because I’m number 34 in the world at the moment so I need to play all and everything and hoping for good results.
“If I have the feeling I can’t continue anymore, that I can’t win my first rounds anymore, on the Pro Tour as well then that will probably be the last of me.”
It’s not exactly a plea likely to melt the hearts of those grinding out minimum-wage jobs, but the message is clear: Barney knows his time is running short unless results improve. Still, there are signs he’s thinking about life beyond the main tour - and it could involve coaching the next generation.
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“I’m thinking I’m going to give online courses but I still have to work it out how. But it looks nice for me, maybe players from Singapore, or New Zealand, or wherever they come from, and they can join in for lessons.
“I can ask for a subscription fee, maybe monthly, and then answer their questions, and help them with setups and stuff, so maybe that’s a good idea and a little bit of TV work. And doing exhibitions.”
In the meantime, he’s still capable of reminding everyone what made him a five-time World Champion. At the Hungarian Darts Trophy last weekend, Barney brushed aside Nandor Major 6-2 and then smashed in a 107 average to dismantle Dave Chisnall 6-1. His run ended against Gerwyn Price in the last 16, but it was another reminder that, every now and again, the old magic is still there.
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Category: General Sports
