Vincent van der Voort has delivered a blunt assessment of Raymond van Barneveld's future, suggesting the Dutch legend should consider retirement if his form doesn't pick up soon. In an interview with Online Darts, Van der Voort, a former pro now working as a coach, analyst, and entrepreneur, stated, "He's one of the top five or six players ever, but the last year and a half hasn't been good." He added, "Personally, if he doesn't improve in the next few months, I think he should stop—but that's just my opinion."
Van der Voort, who is busy with his dart shop and roles with Winmau and the ADC, also discussed his work with Michael van Gerwen, calling him "a different project than he was a couple of years ago." He explained that illness and personal circumstances have set Van Gerwen back, but noted, "I think his throw is better than last year, and he shows in patches what he's capable of." However, he emphasized that Van Gerwen needs to win more tournaments and rebuild the "fear factor" he once had, as opponents no longer approach him with the same trepidation.
On Dutch darts, Van der Voort highlighted positives, mentioning Gian van Veen playing "phenomenally," Niels Zonneveld improving, Kevin Doets doing well, and Dirk van Duijvenbode showing good averages despite lacking results. He also commented on the rivalry between Gian van Veen and Luke Littler, saying, "I liked it. I like a bit of needle in the sport." Looking ahead, he sees opportunities for the Netherlands at the PDC World Cup of Darts, with England as favorites but the Netherlands and Wales close behind.
Van der Voort noted that for Van Gerwen, ranking events are a higher priority than the Premier League, and the real benchmark will be the World Matchplay in the summer. He warned, "The rankings don't lie. He needs to perform, especially for the back end of the season—otherwise he risks dropping out of the top 16 next year, which would be a massive shock." The interview was conducted on Thursday, 09 April 2026.
