Five-time World Champion Raymond van Barneveld has announced his immediate retirement from professional darts, revealing that a secret, devastating struggle with depression has made it impossible for him to continue competing.
In an emotional statement released on Monday, the 59-year-old Dutch legend, known affectionately to fans as “Barney,” broke down as he described the “darkness” that has overshadowed his final years on the oche.
“I am fighting a war inside my own head, and I am losing it,” van Barneveld said in a video message posted to social media. “People see the smile, the fist pump, the winning dart. They don’t see the sleepless nights, the panic before a match, or the feeling that nothing matters anymore. I can’t do this anymore. The arrows are silent. My mind is broken.”
Van Barneveld, who first retired in 2019 before making a comeback in 2021, admitted that his return to the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) was a mistake driven by financial pressures and a desperate hope that the roar of the crowd would reignite his passion. Instead, he says the pressure worsened his condition.
The announcement comes just weeks after a string of early exits in floor tournaments, where the former World Champion was seen visibly shaking and, on one occasion, leaving the stage without shaking his opponent’s hand – a moment he now calls “a cry for help.”
“I have let the fans down. I have let myself down,” he said. “But the truth is, I cannot even get out of bed to practice. What kind of sportsman am I? A fraud. A fraud in a fancy shirt.”
