Raymond van Barneveld is staring down the barrel of a World Darts Championship absence for the first time in years, but the five-time world champion is adamant he will not walk away from the sport. The 59-year-old from The Hague sits just above the ProTour Order of Merit qualification cut-off and must avoid dropping even one spot at the final two Players Championship events in Leicester next week to secure direct entry to Alexandra Palace.
"I'll manage it," Van Barneveld told NOS, though he conceded the pressure is unlike anything he has faced before. "I've never been in this situation before. I usually qualify for the World Championship with ease every year, but next week in Leicester, I really have to get the job done." The Dutchman has appeared at the World Championship 33 times, making his debut with the BDO in 1991 before winning the title in 1998, 1999, 2003 and 2005, and adding a fifth PDC crown in 2007. After retiring in 2019, he missed the 2021 edition before returning to the top level.
"Of course it hurts," he admitted of his precarious position. "I'd be proud if I made it in the end. I'd definitely give myself a pat on the back." Van Barneveld is leaning heavily on mental preparation, revealing: "I meditate and listen to music for that. I try to push down the gloom. I've also sought help. I'm very grateful to my lovely wife, family and friends, who continue to believe in me. But in the end, when you step up to the oche, you have to do it alone."
The former world champion also opened up on the emotional impact of the documentary BASTA, about football great Marco van Basten. "I watched the series BASTA, and it really shook me. I shed a tear because I recognised so much of myself in it," he said. "People so easily overlook everything someone goes through, and how lonely it can be. Van Basten was my idol and, at times, the best in the world. He had to deal with injuries and operations, and people have an opinion about that without knowing what it does to someone." He added: "If he had scored four times, he thought he should have scored six. In other words, you can always do better. I've always felt the same way."
On Wednesday and Thursday, Van Barneveld will have the chance to secure his World Championship place at the floor events in Leicester, though he knows the draw could play a decisive role. "My manager keeps stressing that, too, but I'm no longer the player I once was," he said. "If Mr Luke Littler turns up in Leicester, which is entirely possible, you could draw him in the first round. You can understand why you'd rather face the world number 88."
Should he fail to qualify directly, Van Barneveld has one final route: "There's still a little qualifying tournament in England, and I'll give it everything I've got there." But retirement is off the table. "I'll never say again that I'm quitting. Of course, I'll be hugely disappointed if I miss the World Championship, but I'll simply watch the tournament on television. And next year, I'll keep playing and defend my Tour Card." He even has a Christmas contingency plan: "I'll go to Disneyland with my children. I've already booked it for around Christmas, but if I'm still in the World Championship then, they'll go without me. You understand that."
