RAYMOND VAN BARNEVELD has opened his heart to reveal the reasons why he quit darts for over a year before the start of the Covid pandemic.
The popular Dutchman, 55, recently beat Ian White in the first round of the German Darts Grand Prix, but was knocked out in the second round by Gerwyn Price as he continues to try and get back to the top of the sport.
The five-time world champion announced in 2019 he would leave the professional circuit, but made his comeback for the 2021 season after winning back his Tour Card
And in an extraordinarily candid interview with SunSport in December 2018, Van Barneveld cited family difficulties and health issues for calling time on an incredible career at the time.
Heartbroken Barney says:
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- His 25-year marriage to wife Silvia was under strain because of constant travelling to tournaments and exhibitions.
- He feels he betrayed his family by not being present when his home was burgled
- The Dutchman has ended all contact with his estranged son Mike.
- He missed the funerals of four close friends because he was abroad playing darts at the time.
- And his health and eyesight has deteriorated significantly due to his diabetes.
Van Barneveld, a former postman, has spent three decades living out of a suitcase both on the BDO and then PDC tours.
But the constant daily grind of hotels, planes, cars and ferries has placed incredible pressure on his family. In 2018 his home in The Hague was raided. Now ex-wife Silvia found three men standing in front of her door.
After a struggle, she fled the house. Despite some bruises, she did not have to visit hospital, but was understandably left shaken by the experience.
The trial for the robbery is taking place this month.
Van Barneveld was not present because he was away playing in an exhibition tournament in Barnsley — and he has carried that guilt with him ever since.
He said: “My marriage is a big problem. It takes its toll there. Especially when you are robbed in your own house. My wife had a loaded gun pointed at her head in June.
“She doesn’t want to live in the house any more because she is frightened.
“We have to live separately. She wants an apartment. She is scared.
“You have to deal with that. I cannot give the love and attention she needs because I am always away. I cannot say ‘no’ to what I earn now.
“The court case is on at the start of the World Championship.
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“It’s going to be hard for me and Silvia. I can’t go home as I have to prepare for the worlds.
“The trouble is, even if they get 10-12 years for example, what do we win? We win nothing.
“Emotions are there. I let my wife down not being there for her, which is stressful.”
During busy periods of the season, grandfather Barneveld is home maybe one or two days a week. The rest of the time he is either competing or travelling to PDC events.
He said: “There is no time to do private things. Four good friends of mine passed away this year.
“You cannot even say goodbye to them at a funeral because you are hanging in the sky. Or in Australia or Dubai.
“Birthdays, a couple of friends became 50. I cannot be there because I am playing. It takes its toll. It breaks my heart.
“My grandchildren, every week they come to Silvia and I am not there. I am getting pictures from them through WhatsApp.
“But I cannot see them, I cannot hug them, I cannot feel them. Life is going too quick. They become older before you know it.
“Some days I lose a whole day travelling. Trust me, week-in, week-out. I don’t want to complain, I earn money. Do I have a happy life? No.”
His family heartache has intensified following the decision to stop seeing or speaking with his son Mike, the eldest of his three children.
Van Barneveld, who refused to elaborate on why the relationship has broken down, said: “I don’t want to see my son again in my life.
“Things have been going on the last few years but this year he broke my heart.
“Maybe those things explain why sometimes you miss three darts at a double.”
Physically, Van Barneveld is struggling. His weight has gone up and down in recent years and his vision, so important for a darts player, has been hindering his game recently.
He said: “My eyes are getting worse now. I am wearing contacts. All the time my eyes are dry, I am constantly blinking. My eyes and my hands are my tools.
“If you cannot focus sharply, then it’s an extra handicap. I cannot adjust. I don’t know what to do any more.
“I lost 30kg in probably five years but, to be honest, while I probably look better, I don’t feel better.”
It would be an incredible fairytale if Van Barneveld returns to be one of the best players in the world.
But it would be wrong to write him off completely at the worlds, especially as he has been a semi-finalist FOUR times in the last six championships — and famously beat fellow countryman Michael van Gerwen to reach the quarter-finals in 2016.
Most importantly, Barney, whose last world title was the epic PDC 2007 triumph, hopes he is remembered for being a “pioneer” for darts in Holland.
He said: “I have always said I drove on a bumpy road, full of stones and holes.
“I provided the road for all the other players. They drive all nicely on that road.
“But I am still on that bumpy road. It’s not easy because I never could ask someone, ‘Hey pal, how did you do when you became world champion in Holland?’
“No. Because I was the first one. I had to deal with it and I still do to this day.”
