The situation surrounding five-time world champion Raymond van Barneveld continues to stir debate. After an early exit at the World Championship, Van Barneveld admitted things could not carry on like this, prompting former footballer Rafael van der Vaart to offer help to make him mentally stronger. However, former top darter and Van Barneveld's ex-coach Dick van Dijk has expressed serious skepticism about the project.
Speaking to Panorama, Van Dijk did not mince words. "I already feel sorry for Van der Vaart," he said. "I coached him for three months, but it felt like three years." Van Dijk, who worked closely with Van Barneveld in the past, described the crux of the problem as primarily mental, sketching a picture of a player around whom everything revolves. "Everything always revolved around Raymond," Van Dijk stated. "If we had lost, we’d get a long lecture that evening about everything that went wrong. And then he wanted to die. Come on. Always complaining, he is so mentally weak."
Van Dijk went even further in his criticism, calling Van Barneveld "the biggest narcissist there is." These remarks are based on personal experiences from the past and may present a one-sided view, but they touch on a point often raised with the Dutch icon: his mental resilience. Van Barneveld himself has repeatedly admitted to struggling with pressure, expectations, and motivation.
Despite Van der Vaart's involvement—the former Ajax and Real Madrid midfielder brings experience with performing under pressure—the collaboration has yet to translate into better results. Van Barneveld's performances remain inconsistent; he fell at early stages in several tournaments this year. A rare bright spot was a run at a floor event where he reached the last 16 and beat Wessel Nijman with a high average, but that revival proved short-lived. At the German Darts Grand Prix, he was knocked out in the first round by German amateur Marcel Hausotter, managing only an average of 84 points per visit.
Raymond van Barneveld has now slipped to 37th on the world rankings. According to a tweet from Tom Nankivell on April 10, 2026, he is among the highest-ranked players currently not in a provisional 2027 World Championship spot, alongside others like Dimitri Van den Bergh (36th), Martin Lukeman (39th), Scott Williams (44th), Ryan Meikle (59th), Mario Vandenbogaerde (64th), Rob Owen (65th), and Bradley Brooks (68th).
