Raymond van Barneveld to think over his future after crashing out of the World Championships “I wonder what to do because suffering every week from all the defeats is not what I want.”
Raymond van Barneveld to think over his future after crashing out of the World Championships “I wonder what to do because suffering every week from all the defeats is not what I want.”
Raymond van Barneveld’s shock exit from the World Darts Championship has once again reignited an uncomfortable but increasingly unavoidable conversation around one of the sport’s greatest ever players.
A five-time world champion, a trailblazer for Dutch darts and a figure synonymous with the modern era of the game, Van Barneveld’s defeat has left fans and pundits asking the same questions they asked last year – is this finally the end of the road, and has time finally caught up with ‘Barney’?
Coming into the tournament, there was quiet optimism around the Dutchman. The draw looked kind on paper, and many believed it offered Van Barneveld a genuine opportunity to build momentum and silence doubts, at least temporarily. Instead, it delivered another painful chapter in a year he would rather forget.
Beaten convincingly by an opponent without a Tour Card, the performance and result felt like more than just a bad night – it felt symbolic of a wider struggle that has become impossible to ignore.
Speaking candidly after the match, Van Barneveld admitted that pre-match expectations counted for little once the darts started flying. “I thought I had a nice draw. That’s what everybody was telling me before the game. Everybody was wrong. He played a great match.
He deserved to win this match,” he said. Any suggestion that the occasion or the pressure got to his opponent was quickly dismissed, with Van Barneveld instead praising the level he faced on the Ally Pally stage.
Raymond van Barneveld to think over his future after crashing out of the World Championships
Reflecting on key moments, the Dutchman pointed to missed opportunities that proved costly.
“I played well in the first leg, the second leg wasn’t bad as well. He started with a 140 followed with two 100s. I had three 100s and a 60,” he explained.
Fine margins quickly became decisive. “From that moment he basically hit every double. I got a chance on tops with three darts in the second leg of the second set. I missed them and it was 2-0 for him instead of 1-1.”
As the match wore on, Van Barneveld struggled to impose himself, while his opponent continued to punish any opening. “Also in the last set, I was nowhere near my best and he hit everything. He missed the bull for a 170 but whenever it was needed, he hit the double. My compliments, he just played well,”
Van Barneveld added, gracious in defeat but clearly frustrated.
That frustration spilled over when discussing the contrast between practice and performance – a theme that has followed him throughout the latter stages of his career. “Whenever I was practicing at my office I played really well. It’s so frustrating that in practice I hit a 140 and a 180 every time,” he said, before highlighting the difference match play brings. “The only problem is with practicing you play your own rhythm. That’s different from a match. I noticed he was really slow. I knew that but that made me go out of my own rhythm and missed the doubles.”
The bigger picture, however, is what will concern Van Barneveld the most. “I’m out. It has been a very poor year for me. I need to regroup myself,” he admitted.
Uncertainty now surrounds what comes next. “It’s very difficult to answer what’s next. On the practice board I’m a five-time World Champion, maybe even ten-time. But during the matches it just is not going my way.”
The emotional toll was clear as he spoke openly about his future. “Of course, this hurts. It’s the second time in a row this happens to me. I wonder by myself how to go on,” he said. “I wonder what to do because suffering every week from all the defeats is not what I want.”
Perhaps the most damning assessment came at the end. “He doesn’t even have a Tour Card and to only win two legs, that says it all. I have got homework to do and have to find out what to do next. But, this one hurts, that’s obvious.”
For a legend who has given darts so much, the debate is no longer whispered. Whether Van Barneveld chooses to fight on or finally walk away, his latest World Championship exit feels like a crossroads moment – one that could define how the sport remembers the final chapter of an iconic career.
