Raymond van Barneveld: Darts and Player Bio

Name: Raymond van Barneveld 
Nickname: Barney
DOB: April 20, 1967 
Home Town: Den Haag, Netherlands 
Laterality: Right handed 
Darts: 25g Target
Walk-on Song: Survivor - Eye Of The Tiger 
Best achievement: Five-time world champion

Raymond van Barneveld wrote his name into the darts record books when he became the first player from the Netherlands to win a World Championship in 1998. ‘Barney’ lifted back-to-back BDO World Championship titles in 1998 and 1999, before taking his haul of Lakeside crowns to four with further victories in both 2003 and 2005.

The Dutchman cemented his place amongst the greatest players to ever pick up a dart when he switched codes from the BDO to the PDC in 2006 and won his fifth world title less than a year later. Van Barneveld defeated the legend Phil Taylor 7-6 in a sudden-death leg to win the 2007 PDC World Championship, as he equaled the late Eric Bristow’s haul of five World Championship titles. Beyond his world title successes, ‘Barney’ has won numerous other major titles such as the UK Open, Grand Slam of Darts and Premier League, and has a trophy cabinet that is the envy of almost every other player.

Barney’s play style, and choice of darts equipment

What weight darts does Raymond van Barneveld use? Raymond van Barneveld currently uses his signature Target Raymond van Barneveld Chrono Darts in 25g. Released in September 2024, these are the newest Raymond van Barneveld darts in his Target range and are made from a high-grade 95% tungsten material.

The RVB Chrono range has been made to encapsulate the iconic career of ‘Barney’, with the design of the barrels inspired by the elegance of high-end timepieces. Crafted for both performance and style, the Chrono darts feature detailed precision-milled grip patterns combined with accents of luxurious gold PVD titanium-nitride coating throughout the barrel.

The Raymond van Barneveld new darts set comes in a presentation box with two sets of Target Swiss Chrono Points (26mm and 30mm), one set of Target Chrono Pro Grip Evo Shafts, three sets of Raymond van Barneveld Chrono Pro Ultra Flights (no. 2, no. 6 and Ten-X shapes), a premium Target Swiss Point Key Tool and a Target Chrono Takoma Wallet.

RvB’s best moments and 9-darts checkouts

The Phil Taylor vs Raymond van Barneveld rivalry is one of the most historic in darts. The two multi-time world champions faced off in the final of the 2007 PDC World Championship and produced an epic sudden-death thriller on the Circus Tavern stage. ‘Barney’ recovered from a slow start to come back and beat his fierce rival in a last-set shootout which went all the way to an 11th and final leg. In a tense conclusion, van Barneveld won the bull to throw first in the decider and pinned tops to win the leg and clinch his fifth World Championship title.

Raymond van Barneveld has struck perfection on many occasions during his illustrious career, including on some of the sport’s biggest stages. In 2009, ‘Barney’ became the first player to hit a nine-dart leg in the PDC World Championship, a feat he would repeat in the following edition of the tournament. Another nine-dart finish followed at the 2010 World Matchplay, whilst he has also thrown a pair of nine darters in the Premier League too.

Barney’s long and successful career to date

Raymond van Barneveld has enjoyed a long and successful career in the world of professional darts. The former postman has become a darts icon and helped create a darting boom in his home country of the Netherlands. ‘Barney’ was the first Dutchman to win a World Championship title when he won the Lakeside in 1998, before winning another three BDO crowns in 1999, 2003 and 2005.

A highly publicized switch of codes from the BDO to the PDC followed in 2006, with this next chapter of van Barneveld’s career bringing even more success. In 2007, ‘Barney’ lifted his fifth world title, and first in the PDC, when he defeated Phil Taylor 7-6 in a final regarded as one of the best matches of all time. He has also won several other marquee competitions including the Premier League, UK Open and Grand Slam of Darts.

After retiring from the PDC at the end of 2019, van Barneveld came out of retirement in 2021 and returned to the professional tour and has since climbed back into the top 32 of the world rankings. ‘Barney’ has won in excess of £4 million in prize money and over 80 professional titles during a glittering career spanning more than 30 years.

Barney’s closest matchups and rivalries:

One of the most famous matches in Raymond van Barneveld’s career was his last 16 clash with Michael van Gerwen in the 2015/16 PDC World Darts Championship. The two Dutch rivals met for the first time on the Alexandra Palace stage and served up a match for the ages.

During the 2015 season, van Gerwen had beaten ‘Barney’ in 10 of their 13 meetings on the PDC tour. ‘MVG’ was at this point the undisputed world number one and a red-hot favorite, but van Barneveld upset the odds to beat his younger compatriot 4-3 in sets, checking out a match-winning 96 finish on double 18 to advance to the quarter-finals.

Further reading

With five World Championship titles to his name, Raymond van Barneveld’s position amongst the all-time greats in darts is already confirmed. But how does the career of ‘Barney’ stack up against the other top professional players in history? Read our ‘Best Ever Darts Players’ blog to check out the profiles of some of the leading professionals in the history of the game.

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Picture: Kelly Deckers/PDC