“Van Barneveld isn't open to mental coaching. So how is he going to help him?” – Doubts grow over five-time world champion’s new partnership with former Spurs star

Raymond van Barneveld’s search for answers continues, but the central contradiction in his struggle remains unresolved. The five-time world champion wants change, admits his confidence is fragile, and openly asks for help, yet still resists the one area most observers see as decisive in darts: the mental side of the game.

That tension sits at the heart of his newly announced collaboration with former footballer Rafael van der Vaart. The idea emerged after Van Barneveld publicly voiced his frustrations following the recent PDC World Darts Championship, describing the toll his performances and mindset have taken. Turning to an elite athlete from another sport has generated interest, but also immediate scepticism about what problem is actually being addressed.

Speaking on the Sportnieuws.nl podcast, former Olympic hockey player Ellen Hoog questioned whether the partnership can realistically deliver the breakthrough Van Barneveld is looking for.

“In the end, Van Barneveld really has to do it himself. He has already brought in so much support in the past,” she said, pointing to the long list of physical trainers and mental coaches he has already tried during his repeated attempts to rediscover form and motivation.

One striking detail is that, at the time of the discussion, Van Barneveld and Van der Vaart had not yet even sat down together. “They haven’t even had a conversation together yet. So we don’t really know what that help will involve,” Hoog noted, underlining how early the collaboration still is.

Van Barneveld, however, appears enthusiastic about the idea. According to Hoog, his admiration for Van der Vaart plays a role. “He’s already delighted that Van der Vaart wants to help him,” she said, before adding a note of caution. “That’s all very nice, but it doesn’t say anything yet about the effect.”

Hoog was careful to stress that she supports athletes learning from other disciplines in principle. Drawing on her own career, she explained how coaches often exchanged ideas across sports to sharpen their thinking. That, she believes, can be valuable.

The doubt lies not in the concept, but in the context. “I fully support Van der Vaart helping him,” she said. “But whether he will really get him back on the right track, I think that takes a lot.”

The biggest question mark remains Van Barneveld’s relationship with mental coaching. Hoog openly wondered where Van der Vaart could make the decisive difference. “Van Barneveld is not open to mental coaching, so that’s not where it lies. So how is he going to help him?” she asked.

Fellow podcast host Naomi van As argued that this is precisely where the core of the problem sits, but Hoog countered that Van Barneveld himself does not see it that way. “He’s tried that before and says it doesn’t work. So how do you then get back on the right track?”

Van Barneveld has suggested he wants a more direct approach, even joking that he needs “a kick up the backside” and someone to drag him to the gym. Hoog laughed at the idea that Van der Vaart would play that role, while Van As explained that Van der Vaart has instead spoken about using his network to find practical support.

Still, Hoog maintained that physical training can only ever be part of the solution. “I think darts is 80 to 90 percent mental. It’s all in the head,” she said. “He can go to the gym, and I encourage that, but to really become a top darts player again, it has to be right between the ears.”

Van As closed by highlighting the contrast between the two personalities involved, recalling Van der Vaart’s own admission that he barely overthinks anything at all. Hoog could only laugh at the comparison.

For Van Barneveld, though, the challenge is no joke. The question is not whether help is coming, but whether he is finally willing to confront the part of his game that has refused to move with it.