Raymond van Barneveld

Barney — five World Championship titles and the most beloved Dutch athlete of his era. Van Barneveld's 2007 PDC World Championship final against Phil Taylor — which he won in a deciding set — is considered the greatest final in the history of the competition and the match that opened darts to a Dutch television audience of millions.

Raymond van Barneveld was born in The Hague, Netherlands on 20 April 1967. He worked as a postman before darts became his profession. He won four BDO World Championships between 1998 and 2005, establishing himself as one of the finest players of his generation. He switched to the PDC in 2007 and immediately won the PDC World Championship, defeating Phil Taylor 7-6 in a final that is still considered the greatest match in the competition's history — a seven-set thriller of extraordinary quality. He became the most popular darts player in the Netherlands, a country where the sport had not previously held major cultural prominence, and generated enormous PDC television audiences in Dutch markets. He has spoken openly about depression and personal difficulties during his career. He retired in 2020 but returned in 2022 before finally stepping back from the circuit.

• BDO World Champion 4x (1998, 2000, 2003, 2005)
• PDC World Champion 2007
• Premier League Darts Champion
• World Grand Prix Champion
• Defeated Phil Taylor in the greatest World Championship final