"This way it really makes no sense anymore" – Vincent van der Voort indicates that retirement for Raymond van Barneveld could be imminent

The concerns surrounding Raymond van Barneveld are growing by the week. Where the five-time world champion long guaranteed class, presence, and resilience on stage, the darts legend now seems mainly to be battling himself. After another painful defeat on the Euro Tour in Graz, Austria, a serious suggestion has emerged for the first time—via his close friend Vincent van der Voort—that “Barney” may temporarily step back from the professional circuit.

The 59-year-old from The Hague hit a new sporting low last week in his match against Alan Soutar at the Austrian Darts Open 2026. Van Barneveld lost 6-2 and posted a shockingly low average of just 77.79. He had never thrown this poorly at a Euro Tour event before. For many darts fans, it was another sobering moment in a period where the former world champion appears to be sliding further away.

Close friend and former professional Vincent van der Voort is deeply worried as well. In the podcast Darts Draait Door, he spoke candidly about the contact he had with Van Barneveld afterwards. “You keep thinking it can’t get worse, but he keeps losing all the time,” said Van der Voort. “I messaged him briefly on WhatsApp and you can tell he’s really struggling.”

According to Van der Voort, the question has now become whether it still makes sense to continue. The former UK Open finalist revealed that Van Barneveld is seriously considering a temporary break from darts. “He’s thinking about taking a step back for a while, because this way it really makes no sense anymore,” said Van der Voort. “I really feel for him. I’ve known him for 35 years.”

That Van Barneveld is in troubled waters has been evident for some time. While he could still occasionally raise his game at televised tournaments in recent years, sometimes even producing strong results, things have been extremely difficult on the floor for months. Early exits at Players Championships and Euro Tours are piling up quickly. It often happens against players whom Van Barneveld would have beaten comfortably in his prime.

What stands out most are the low averages and the lack of confidence at the oche. The ease with which Van Barneveld used to pin checkouts and produce heavy scoring seems to have completely vanished. Even his biggest fans are now watching with heavy hearts.

Van der Voort called the defeat to Soutar “a new low.” “If people told me Raymond was averaging in the 70s, I’d say, ‘No way, that can’t be,’” he said. “He really shouldn’t want this for himself.”

According to the ex-pro, the current situation shows that even the greatest champions are not immune to decline. “A few years ago we would never have expected this. I always thought he had so much talent that he could still compete on autopilot. But you see that even such champions can fall through the floor.”

The comparison with darts icon Phil Taylor was inevitable. While Taylor wound down his career in a relatively controlled way and avoided major slumps, Van Barneveld seems increasingly trapped in a negative spiral. “I’m glad something like that never happened to Phil Taylor,” said Van der Voort.

Even so, the affection for Van Barneveld within darts remains undiminished. The Dutchman became one of the key pioneers of modern darts in the Netherlands. With his world titles, iconic matches against Taylor, and massive popularity, he inspired an entire generation of players. Without Van Barneveld, the current Dutch darts boom would likely never have grown this large.

That is precisely why the current decline hurts so many. Fans still hope for one last surge from the legend, but at the same time, the realization grows that reality is harsh. At the highest level, doubt and a lack of belief are punished mercilessly.

Van Barneveld also recently chose to work with new management, which is said to have close ties to Taylor’s former handlers. According to Van der Voort, it remains to be seen whether that will actually make a difference. “Now we have to see what that does for him,” he said. “But ultimately, it has to happen on stage.”

Whether Van Barneveld will indeed stop temporarily remains unclear for now. What is certain is that the coming weeks could be crucial for the future of one of the greatest darts players the Netherlands has ever produced. For the time being, a sense of sadness and disbelief prevails. Because where darts fans witnessed years of ‘Barney’ magic, they now look on helplessly as a living legend battles perhaps his toughest opponent yet: himself.