Raymond van Barneveld retires: A tribute to the undisputed People's Champion of darts

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The crown of 'people's champion' in any sport doesn't nestle on many heads and some would argue it's even harder to attain than a physical trophy.

Serial winners of titles and those who dominate eras in their particular discipline can often struggle to win widespread love of supporters - whether it's because of a robotic pursuit of success or simply because of the underdog appeal of their opponents.

Clearly there's a special collection, like Roger Federer, Ronnie O'Sullivan and Usain Bolt for example, who have possessed that incredible gift that inspires fans to will their brilliance on to new heights rather than see it disrupted by a plucky challenger, no matter what their story.

There are also times where a sporting giant can earn a renaissance of adulation, such as towards the very end of a legendary career in Phil Taylor's case or during a long title drought - Tiger Woods immediately springing to mind.

But no matter how priceless this honour and recognition is on a human level, it's ultimately not what sports men and women are intrinsically motivated to seek. Sadly, it's just a bonus behind trophies and the wealth that goes with them.

And one of the greatest people's champions in the history of darts is no exception, and has even been honest enough to admit it wasn't enough to keep him playing the sport at competition level beyond this season.

Raymond van Barneveld, whose career ended following a shock defeat in the first round of the PDC World Darts Championship, first started thrilling millions during his rise from a postman to BDO world champion in the 1990s and has never stopped since, irrespective of the major trophies drying up since 2014.

His style of play and charisma in both the BDO, where he won four Lakeside titles (1998, 1999, 2003, 2005), and the PDC not only helped build up a Barney Army that spans multiple generations and roars him on no matter where he play around the globe, but was one of the influential factors behind making the sport as popular as it is today.

The manner of his last world title success against Phil Taylor back in 2007 at the Circus Tavern secured his eternal hero status while his five televised nine-darters - four of which coming in 2009 and 2010 including the historic first perfect leg on the PDC World Championship stage - kept his popularity at unrivalled levels.

Even during the last five trophyless seasons in individual competition, he's always been able to produce memorable moments of magic needed to reach the latter stages of the big events - who can forget his famous victory over Michael van Gerwen at the Ally Pally in 2015 - and even during a largely disappointing 2018, he defeated the world number one twice, including a pulsating Premier League night in Rotterdam.

What he lacked at the final stages of his career was the consistency and energy to string enough of these performances needed to win a tournament and he clearly lost a lot of self belief after years of disappointment as well as his struggles with diabetes, blurred vision and the constant travelling around the world.

The 51-year-old told Sporting Life Darts earlier in the year: "The last 10 years have been been stressful. The diabetes, the travelling and dealing with defeats. I'm a guy who wants to win trophies, that's my dream but for the last four years I'm not winning anything apart from the World Cup with Michael van Gerwen.

"All those things combined brought me to my decision. The peoples' champion is great but you can't buy bread with that prize. You want to lift trophies and the money involved in this game today."

He added: "If you finish on 50 years of age you want to look at your financial status, as that's also important. When I won my first world title I got £32,000 and now Michael is winning £500,000. Every darts player wants that because when you retire you want to live the same life that you have been doing.

"I feel a bit like Johan Cruyff - when he left Ajax for Barcelona it was perhaps for £3-4 million but now football players are earning about £1million per month now!

"It's similar with darts but if you don't win titles, although you're looking at decent money it's not what you really want. In darts you know your career is 20-30 years and you want to live a good life after that, which you need money for of course."

Van Barneveld craved a farewell year similar to the one Taylor enjoyed in 2017, when the Power won the World Matchplay and then reached the World Championship final.

But in the weeks leading up to his last visit to the Ally Pally, the 52-year-old admitted it had been "disastrous" 2019 and didn't hold out much hope of a fairytale finale.

Barney, whose farewell Premier League campaign earlier in the year also proved to be a damp squib as he was eliminated at Judgement Night in Rotterdam following his heavy defeat to Michael van Gerwen, did at least manage to reach two finals including the televised New Zealand Darts Masters, but that was nowhere near enough.

At the start of the season he said: "When I became 50 I said to myself let's try five more years but my body isn't capable of doing it every week. The trains, planes, automobiles, the pressure, diabetes, blurred vision, etc. On the practice board you're always at your best - 180s for breakfast, finishing so easy. But then on stage it never seems to happen.

"The standard is so high now and when you keep losing matches each week - in majors, Pro Tours or Euro events - it gets in your head and system and it'll all block. One day you stand up and you don't want the stress anymore and everything that comes with it.

"Some tournaments you beat MVG then lose to Gary Anderson - two weeks later you then beat Gary Anderson but then lose to Rob Cross. It never all comes together enough to win a trophy, which then puts you back in the top 10 and takes some pressure off again. Because then you'd know for two years you'd be playing in all the majors."

In hindsight it was perhaps predictable that his career would end so flatly against unheralded opposition on the greatest stage of all but the result still shocked the distraught Barney Army into silence.

"The demons won again - I never felt comfortable in the whole match," Barney said during his final press conference after defeat to Young.

When later prompted to elaborate on what those demons, he said: "That I'm a loser. Every day is a disappointment in my life."

Barney was also asked if he was proud of his achievements to which he sarcastically laughed and said: "Proud of what? That's all in the past, I can't live with myself for this. Never ever."

"It (My legacy) doesn't matter. I don't belong at this high level anymore and that's what I've got to tell myself for the rest of my life."

Thankfully, everyone he meets for the rest of his life will tell him the complete opposite whether he likes it or not.

Scroll down for more memorable clips from a stunning career

Raymond van Barneveld roll of honour

• People's Champion - Always
• Career TV Titles: 26
• Non-TV Titles: 15
• Televised Nine-Darters: 5

PDC Televised Titles

• 2006, 2007 UK Open
• 2007 World Championship
• 2007 Las Vegas Desert Classic
• 2012 Grand Slam of Darts
• 2014 Premier League
• 2010, 2014, 2017, 2018 World Cup of Darts

Further Major Titles

• 1998, 1999, 2003, 2005 Lakeside Championship
• 2001, 2005 World Masters
• 1995, 2001, 2003, 2004 Zuiderduin Masters
• 2003, 2004 World Darts Trophy
• 2003, 2004, 2006 International Darts League
• 2007 Masters of Darts

Raymond van Barneveld's nine-darters

1. Barney hits the first nine-darter in Premier League history during his match with Peter Manley.

2. Van Barneveld became the first man to hit a nine-darter in the PDC World Championship with this effort against Jelle Klaasen in January 2009.

3. The following December, Barney became the first player to manage two perfect legs on any world championship stage against Brendan Dolan.

4. The Dutch legend managed his second Premier League nine-darter in 2010 - at which point no other player had even managed one - against Terry Jenkins.

5. Barney's last televised nine-darter came in the 2010 World Matchplay against Denis Ovens.

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