Raymond van Barneveld to come out of retirement.

Raymond van Barneveld to come out of retirement.

The five times champion of the world Raymond van Barneveld has to produce a sensational u-turn, less than a year after retiring from the sport. 2019 was the Barny Army farewell tour around the world for the much-loved Dutchman.

RvB’s fairytale year ended in the ultimate heartbreak, when van Barneveld crashed out of his final world championships in the first round. American Darin Young beat Barney on the Ally Pally stage. Every darts fans will remember the image of a lonely van Barnelved walking from the stage, one final time.

There had been a few murmuring coming from the van Barneveld camp that future hall of famer might be getting cold feet sat at home. The news the broke this evening on RTL the rumours were indeed true that the great Dutchman would gry his hand at Q-School early in 2021.

Raymond van Barneveld to come out of retirement.

“It’s very simple. I miss it. I miss it terribly,” Van Barneveld explained to RTL News.

“I think the decision [to retire] was the right one, but I have now had a lot of time to think about it. Then I realised I miss it terribly.

“I now have a unique opportunity to realise my dream and to work in a team. I think that is the solution for me.

“Because I haven’t been myself for the past two or three years, you don’t always make the right decisions.

“Your head is haunted, and you’re a nightmare for everyone. But that’s different now. I’m looking forward to it.

“I signed for three years, so we have the chance to at least get a tour card for three years.

“If I want to get my tour card, I will have to do my best.”

It’s by far a full gone conclusion that we will see RvB back on tour. Q-school is only the first hurdle he will have to overcome. Even if van Barneveld were to regain his tour card, this would only be the start as he would be starting from the bottom of the ranking so would need to qualify for every TV tournaments.

Can the great Dutchman regain his tour card?