Darts weekly - Was Raymond van Barneveld an underachiever?

Darts Now's Connor Cain pens the second edition of his brand new column, Darts Weekly, which you can read every week here at OddsNow.com!

This week, our man examines the career of a darts icon and questions whether the man in question has the achievements to match his mercurial talent.

Raymond van Barneveld – serial winner or underachiever?

Few people are more synonymous with darts than Raymond van Barneveld.

The Doyen of Dutch Darts has wowed fans for 40 years in a trophy-laden career that includes five World Championships and two retirements (with another still to come).

Van Barneveld still plies his trade in the PDC despite first playing competitive darts as a teenager in the 80s – picking up his latest title in 2024

The question I pose, then, sounds strange given the aforementioned world titles, alongside a Premier League and Grand Slam of Darts trophy just to name a few others.

But I insist it remains a valid discussion.

His fiercest rival Phil Taylor captured 16 World Championships and 16 World Matchplays, alongside six Premier League titles and a whole host of other accolades.

It may feel harsh to compare Van Barneveld to the greatest thrower of tungsten the world has seen – but the pair did share one of the most iconic rivalries across any sport.

Five-time World Champion? – Let’s take a closer look

When the sirens blare and Eye of the Tiger travels through the venue, John McDonald warms up his vocal cords before announcing the ‘five-time champion of the world, Raymond van Barneveld’.

Forgive me here, but I may say something a tad controversial – I don’t consider ‘Barney’ a five-time World Champion.

He sank Phil Taylor in a sudden-death leg to lift the greatest trophy in darts in 2007 in arguably the greatest final we have ever witnessed.

No matter anyone’s opinion, that can never be taken away from Van Barneveld and the image of his Dutch roar that was unleashed after pinning tops will be replayed for generations.

This, however, is the only World Championship the 58-year-old has lifted in the PDC, hence my stance.

The other four were captured in the BDO (British Darts Organisation) – a rival organisation that was founded in 1973 but ceased to exist in 2020.

For those unaware, the BDO was the sport’s dominant organisation before the game’s top players departed in 1992, forming what would later become the PDC.

Both organisations would hold their own versions of the World Championship annually, though the BDO’s field was weakened with the departure of the game’s superstars that included Phil Taylor and Dennis Pristley but to name a few.

Whilst the BDO still boasted world class talent such as John Part, Martin Adams and of course Van Barneveld, the absentees were had to ignore.

The Dutch legend still had to contend with elite arrowsmiths en route to his four BDO World Championships and he should be applauded for his achievements in that organisation.

In my view though, those World Championships have an asterisk next to them given that the best player in the world – Phil Taylor – was hoovering up titles in the PDC.

Indeed, Van Barneveld has stated previously that sinking ‘The Power’ was a big motivation for jumping ship in 2006 – a decision that ultimately cemented his legacy.

PDC Legacy not in doubt

Whilst the man from The Hague was prolific in the BDO, his accomplishments in the PDC eclipse many of his generational rivals too.

Van Barneveld holds the distinction of becoming the first man to hit a nine-dart leg in the PDC World Championship, as well as being the first to do it in the Premier League.

On top of his 2007 World Championship triumph over Phil Taylor, he hoisted the Premier League, Grand Slam of Darts, four World Cups and two UK Opens.

He was also the world number one and captured a total of 29 titles in the PDC.

Even in his twilight years, he’s still mixing it on the big stage and competed at the Winter Gardens in the World Matchplay only a few weeks ago.

He is a legend in every sense of the word and boasts a trophy haul many could only dream of, aided by a silky-smooth throw that has withstood the test of time.

An impressive CV but with glaring omissions

Lately, there’s been plenty of talk around the fabled 'Triple Crown' – the World Championship, World Matchplay and Premier League.

Luke Littler recently became the fifth man in history to complete the set with his Blackpool triumph in July, joining Taylor, Gary Anderson, Michael van Gerwen and current world number one Luke Humphries.

Since sinking Taylor and Van Gerwen on one stunning night in 2014 to capture the Premier League, Van Barneveld has been one trophy away from joining the exclusive club.

The World Matchplay is often regarded as the second most prestigious tournament after the World Championship but the trophy named after his biggest rival Taylor has always eluded him.

His closest attempt at Winter Gardens glory came in 2010 where he averaged a ton in defeat to… you guessed it, old foe Taylor.

The 11-time PDC TV title winner has also reached finals of the World Grand Prix and Masters but came up short in both.

Taylor’s relentless success hampered many a player and nearly all of Van Barneveld’s major final defeats were to the Stoke-on-Trent man.

The two that weren’t came at the hands of fellow Dutchman Van Gerwen instead, who is widely regarded as the second greatest player of all time behind Taylor.

Underachiever tag is a compliment and not a criticism

It sounds harsh to label someone as an underachiever, but it should not be taken too critically.

I’m sure Van Barneveld himself will be slightly disappointed with his PDC major haul, given his immense talent and immediate success after his switch nearly two decades ago.

His last ranking major victory was the UK Open in 2007, six months after his epic conquest over his greatest adversary at the Circus Tavern.

If you had told the Dutchman back then that he wouldn’t win another, he alongside many fans would laugh in your face at such a ridiculous statement.

Unfortunately for him and many other players, the Taylor winning machine rumbled on for decades until the man himself decided to finally hang up his darts in 2018.

Even in his final year, Taylor captured the World Matchplay and reached yet another world final.

If he knows anything about darts, Andy Murray would probably share sympathy with ‘Barney’.

The Scotsman lifted three tennis Grand Slams in his career, a number that would almost certainly be a lot greater if not for Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic – undoubtedly the three greatest players to ever pick up a racket.

Despite this, Murray is still recognised as one of the best to ever grace his sport and when Van Barneveld finally puts down the tungsten for good, the same will go for him.

Could he have won more? Yes. Should he have won more? Maybe.

Is he any less of a legend for not winning more? Absolutely not – Barney Army!