Darts star settles accounts
“The stupidest thing you could say to me”
Updated 12/25/2025 – 9:38 amReading time: 2 minutes
Raymond van Barneveld is frustrated after the bitter World Cup exit. The 58-year-old admits to having motivation problems and is looking for someone to motivate him.
After his early exit from the Darts World Cup, Raymond van Barneveld made a ruthless reckoning with himself and described his year as “wasted”. The five-time world champion clearly failed against the Swiss Stefan Bellmont in the first round and said: “Christmas means nothing to me this year. I have nothing to celebrate,” the Dutchman told the portal “NU.nl”.
Despite numerous calls from outside, van Barneveld has ruled out resigning again – primarily for financial reasons. “I did earn millions in prize money, but a lot of it went to the tax authorities and was for my divorce and travel expenses. I have to keep going,” explained the 58-year-old, who ended his career in December 2019 but announced his comeback almost a year later.
The darts veteran also spoke openly about his fitness problems: “I would like to lose weight and get fitter, but I’m pretty lazy. Sometimes I sit on the sofa for days, scrolling through my phone and doing nothing. I need someone to get me off the couch.” He hasn’t been able to “kick himself in the ass” for years – and is looking for a “driver”.
Van Barneveld has clear ideas for this. He should say to him: “Mr. Van Barneveld, you too have to complete a regular working day from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., just like every other citizen. After that, it’s free time.” However, he estimates the costs for such a supervisor to be between 2,000 and 4,000 euros per month. “If you don’t win a lot of prize money yourself, you just have to go for it. I hope there are sponsors who can help,” said the Dutchman.
Van Barneveld wants to continue playing until he is 60, even though he has been “scared to death” about his level for the past three years. He firmly rejects the advice to simply enjoy throwing: “That’s the stupidest thing you could say to me. Winning is the only thing that counts. From now on, everything else has to take a back seat.”