Tuesday, December 21, 2021
“Barney” makes World Cup comeback
How a darts legend reinvented itself
From Kevin Schulte
Two years ago, Raymond van Barneveld left the darts world forever with an embarrassing defeat, but at the beginning of this season “Barney” started a surprising comeback. And after his World Cup opening success, one thing is clear: the return has been a success.
The Darts World Cup did not have to do without one of the best players of all time for a long time. Only two years after his supposedly final career end, Raymond van Barneveld is back on the biggest stage in the darts world at Alexandra Palace in London. The Dutchman’s opening game shows that he can still do it. Or, better said, that he can do it again. Against the Philippine representative Lourence Ilagan, “Barney” prevailed in three sets and only surrendered two legs in the entire game.
In the end, the statistics show a rather average double rate of 36 percent, but a strong point average of 96 per recording. Only three players have played a higher average in the tournament so far: the young Austrian Rowby-John Rodriguez, co-favorite Jonny Clayton and defending champion Gerwyn Price. And yet van Barneveld was not completely satisfied after his easy victory. “I can play a lot better, but I won, that’s the main thing.”
Winning will not be so easy for the five-time world champion on Wednesday evening. His opponent will then be Rob Cross, number eleven in the world, reigning European champion and world champion of 2018. “I can hardly wait to play against Rob Cross. It will be something special,” van Barneveld is convinced.
“I wasn’t a nice person anymore”
Many critics are still critical of the 52-year-old’s comeback. Too heavy, not only in terms of athletic, terribly bad appearance in his originally planned last career year 2019. “I had enough of myself. I wasn’t a nice person anymore. Not for me, not for my family, not for my friends. I had so often lost and then simply given up, “said” Barney “last in the “Checkout” podcast self-critical. Most fans, experts and players reacted in disbelief when the former postman from The Hague announced his comeback less than a year after his resignation.
The adventure began earlier this year. “Barney” had to start all over again. In the so-called qualifying school, where world championship titles are worth nothing, but rather a burden. Where every capable or not so capable player can earn one of the few starting places on the professional tour for an entry fee of 400 euros. Many did not trust him to do this ox tour, but van Barneveld punishes his critics with lies. He succeeds in qualifying at the first attempt and has been officially PDC professional again since February.
The Dutchman finally made his goal of qualifying for the World Cup clear in the 3rd of 30 professional tournaments when he won a Pro Tour tournament against all PDC grandees at the end of February. “This tournament victory was a shock. At such an early stage, winning the title was a surprise for me. That was great,” said van Barneveld at “Checkout”.
Collapse during tournament
Shortly thereafter, “Barney” hit the headlines again at another Pro Tour event, albeit worryingly. Shortly after his first round defeat, van Barneveld collapsed. The 52-year-old later said that he “went blank”. He blames psychological reasons for the breakdown. “At that time, a lot of bad things were happening in my private life. My father had a stroke, my house had collapsed a few days earlier. That was too much for me.”
In his comeback year, “Barney” can no longer build on top performances like at the beginning of the year with his Pro Tour success, but in time for the World Cup, the darts legend seems to be gradually getting closer to top form. In November van Barneveld succeeded in qualifying for the Grand Slam of Darts, where he lost to top 10 players Gary Anderson and Michael Smith, but showed respectable performances.
Perhaps that is also why “Barney” was optimistic in the “Checkout” podcast before the World Cup. “Is the world title realistic for me this year? I don’t know. But the fact is, I have the quality to beat the best players in the world. If I didn’t believe in winning the World Cup, I would don’t go to London. ”
“I dream of winning the World Cup”
Some people question the plan, the idea behind the comeback. What else does “Barney”, the five-time champion, want to prove to himself? Sure, his last professional year 2019 was embarrassing. But the ox tour, from zero in the ranking back up? Knowing that you have to play all the qualifying tournaments in order to be able to take part in the big tournaments? The Dutchman flirted again and again with the fact that a highly decorated player like him did not have to qualify for tournaments and should instead receive a wildcard from the PDC. That was the old “Barney” from 2018 and 2019.
Such statements are no longer heard from the 2021 Barneveld. The new “Barney” version is decidedly relaxed. As for his motivation for the comeback, he can be elicited that he has become “a better person” again. The Dutchman has reinvented himself, rediscovering the fun of darts and thus the fun of life. A mixture that could make him dangerous again at the World Cup. Van Barneveld, who for decades only defined himself through victories, is now making statements like this: “I don’t have to prove anything to anyone anymore. I see everything that I still win on the PDC tour as a bonus.”
Raymond van Barneveld’s dream of the sixth world title continues to dream, however, as he recently admitted at “Checkout”: “I dream of winning the World Cup, hopefully the dream will come true. I am a born winner. ” So you don’t get the old “Barney” entirely from the new “Barney”.
What else is going on at the Darts World Cup?
The fourth-placed James Wade made it into the third lap without any problems. “The Machine” had no problems with their Dutch opponent Maik Kuivenhoven despite at best an average performance, they won 3-1.
The first round encounter between the 20-year-old Austrian Rusty-Jake Rodriguez and the New Zealander Ben Robb was much more spectacular. In the end, it was a 3: 1 for World Cup debutant Rodriguez, who follows his brother Rowby-John, who is five years older than him, into the next round.
The first round will be completed on Tuesday afternoon, after which all outstanding second round matches will take place until Christmas Eve, including the duel between world number five Dimitri Van den Bergh and German Florian Hempel in the evening. Read more about this game here.