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'I don’t have a best friend' - Raymond van Barneveld offers insight on his illustrious career

Originally posted on Dartsnews.com | By Lucas Michael | Last updated Sep 12, 2025 2:21 PM ET

Raymond van Barneveld is one of darts' biggest icons, having won five World Championships whilst still currently playing with some of the best players in the world.

He is preparing to play in front of a home crowd in Amsterdam at the World Series of Darts Finals, facing off against the Norwegian Cor Dekker in his first round match. Before that, he participated in a quickfire questions session with MDA Events, as he spoke about his favourite venue he has played at, toughest opponent he has faced on the oche, and the person he would most rely on to hit a double.

Barney answers quickfire questions

It may come as a surprise that Barney has not picked his 2007 World Championships triumph against Phil Taylor as his career highlight, going for a more niche moment which put him on the road to greatness. "That was my first Embassy win," he said. "I was an amateur, of course, and I played in the final against Richie Burnett in 1998. After that I became a professional dart player, so that event, that moment, changed my whole life. It’s the most important happening of my career."

There is no surprise on his favourite venue: "Rotterdam Ahoy, definitely, 100%. Ten thousand people in orange clothes – unbelievable Barney Army. If I still watch this back on YouTube, I get goosebumps all over."

With darts so competitive, the Dutchman struggled to pick out his toughest opponent he has faced over the three decades he has been playing, but in the end, he went for the obvious one: Taylor. "Pretty much everyone, at the moment. Well, I like to play the players in rhythm – like Michael [van Gerwen], Gary Anderson, Adrian Lewis. I don’t mind playing against those guys. But I struggle more with players not so great in rhythm, like Phil Taylor, James Wade. So, yeah, the toughest opponent was always Phil."

Surprisingly, himself and Josh Rock have never met on the oche. The talented Northern Irishman is touted to become one of the best players in the world after playing some sublime stuff in recent months, with Barney up for the challenge of locking horns against him. "I never played Josh Rock – never. Sometimes on tour you meet guys eight times a year, and other ones you never play. George has been around for a couple of years now, so I’m looking forward to that."

Being the professional he is, Barney revealed that he does not see his opponents as friends, more as 'colleagues' when asked who his best friend was in darts. "I don’t have a best friend. It’s just colleagues, you know. Sometimes you go out with good players, but to really say I have close friends in darts – no. You see each other every single week, but at the end you’re opponents, right? I know there are some friendships in darts, and I had some, but not at this moment."

Eventually, he did come around to mentioning the famous final in 2007, picking it as his favourite match to have ever been involved in. "That must have been the Taylor match in 2007 – 3–0 down and then fighting my way back to lift the trophy, my very first year in the PDC. That felt amazing."

When asked which darts player he would most rely on to hit a double, Barney said: "James Wade," in as surprise to absolutely no one. Finally, he was questioned on his favourite sportsperson outside of darts, in which he replied: "Johan Cruyff."

This article first appeared on Dartsnews.com and was syndicated with permission.

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