Raymond van Barneveld will begin his World Darts Championship campaign on Saturday night (Image: GETTY)
Darts star Raymond van Barneveld has insisted that people don’t recognise him anymore, despite the fact he has been a world champion of the sport on no fewer than five occasions. The Dutchman is set to get his campaign up and running tonight when he takes on Nick Kenny in the second round.
Van Barneveld won back-to-back BDO world titles in 1998 and 1999 before taking the honours again in 2003 and 2005.
He then won his only world title in 2007 following the sport’s rebrand after overcoming Phil Taylor 7-6 in an enthralling final.
Van Barneveld is still going strong but is ranked as an outsider to lift the trophy at Alexandra Palace these days. And ahead of his showdown with Kenny, the 57-year-old told : “Most people don’t even recognise me anymore.
“Really, I go through it seriously. Then they recognise something and ask ‘Are you by any chance a colleague?’ Then I ask if they also happen to be a professional darts player.
“I also have to explain to quite a few people if I still play darts, yes or no. Since it’s no longer broadcast on the open net, a lot of people don’t see you anymore.”
Read more…
World Darts Championship star Raymond van Barneveld has insisted that people no longer recognise him (Image: GETTY)
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. Read our Privacy Policy
Van Barneveld, who has also , used to be a regular in the latter stages of tournaments but has failed to reach the World Championship quarter-finals since 2018.
Last year, the veteran was knocked out by Luke Littler in the fourth round, with the then-16-year-old cruising to a 4-1 victory.
And Van Barneveld explained: “That match was coming up and everyone gave me a chance anyway because I was playing well. Nobody knew how it was going to go, but then the man with the hammer came and it became 4-1.”
Don’t miss… [QUOTES] [DETAILS]
The talented star is still backing himself to perform on the biggest stage of all, however, as he added: “What does change is that of course it hasn’t been about me for a long time.
“It used to be about Phil [Taylor], Gary [Anderson], Michael [van Gerwen] and me, but I’m not on a poster anymore. There is no one taking into account that Raymond van Barneveld is going to take that world title for a while.
“Last week I just threw 180 four times in a row. That’s not normal, right? I haven’t done that all my life. Then I think, ‘Hell Ray, it’s still there, with your 57 years.”