VAN BARNEVELD: I FELT LIKE A FAILURE ALL MY LIFE
29/11/2025 By Aaron Nijjar
RAYMOND VAN BARNEVELD admits he has spent most of his life feeling like a “failure” after opening up on the childhood struggles that shaped his career.
‘Barney’ has often broken down in emotional post-match interviews, and now says those reactions come from deep-rooted struggles dating back to his youth.
The six-time major winner revealed he grew up lonely and without friends, something that shaped his confidence for years.
Van Barneveld confessed nothing seemed to go right for him before darts entered his life.
He told Sterren op het Doek: “I always felt like a failure. I had no friends around me.
“When you’re young and you have your mates, you learn things from each other — hanging out, going out, going to the cinema. All of that passed me by.
“My whole childhood just slipped away, and nothing ever really worked out.”
Presenter Özcan Aykol pointed out that setbacks are a normal part of growing up.
Van Barneveld countered: “Yes, but not everything, right?”
The Dutchman recalled failing at carpentry school and feeling hopeless at basic tasks.
He added: “I always felt like a failure. Everything I touched fell apart. I could never do anything right the first time.”
World No35 Van Barneveld claimed a remarkable five world titles between 1998 and 2007 and won his last major championship at the 2014 Premier League.
But he admits those old doubts can still return when results go badly.
He continued: “Then you slip back into that mindset — ‘See? You still can’t do anything.”
Van Barneveld opens his World Championship campaign against Stefan Bellmont on December 17.
Image by Taylor Lanning.
