RAYMOND VAN BARNEVELD is set to be helped by former Tottenham star Rafael van der Vaart.
Barney, 57, struggled for form throughout 2025.
His woes culminated at the World Championship as he was dumped out in round one by Stefan Bellmont.
Amid his struggles, Van Barneveld is set to be assisted by Van der Vaart after the former World Cup finalist reached out.
On the unlikely collaboration, the five-time world champion explained: “Heartwarming. Absolutely fantastic. I never expected this, of course. I was truly speechless.
“It’s so sweet. It’s really great that he wants to work for me. We played a demonstration game together and have kept in touch since then.
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“It’s still an individual sport; you’re often on your own. Hopefully, Rafael’s help will provide some relief, but I can’t say yet exactly what it will look like.
“We’ll have coffee soon, and then we’ll get things concrete.
“He also said he’d love to come along a few times. He’s a fan, and I’ve always been a fan of his.
“He played in a World Cup final, right? The fact that he cares about another athlete really steals my heart.”
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Van der Vaart, 42, is a huge darts fan – and even joined the BDO in 2019 following his football retirement.
The former Prem star told Dutch outlet NOS: “I can’t promise anything, but I’m going to do my best. ‘It hurts me [watching Barney struggle]. I’m a real fan of his.
“Raymond put darts on the map in the Netherlands. Raymond, like me, is a natural talent. And then you get lazy.
“It’s mental. I’m convinced Raymond would knock anyone off the board when he’s relaxed.
“Maybe he needs to drink four bacos before a match again, like he used to.
“He’s often at odds with himself and overthinks things. I’m someone who doesn’t think, just ask Estavana [Estavana Polman, Van der Vaart’s girlfriend].
“If Raymond van Barneveld and Rafael van der Vaart arrived at a tournament… then I think other people would also think: what the hell is going on here? Haha!”
In 2019, Van der Vaart made his professional darts debut at the Denmark Open.
Amazingly he defeated Thomas Anderson 4-2 to move into the second round.
Van Barneveld, meanwhile, surprisingly opted to skip last week’s World Masters.
Explaining the decision, Barney said: “I’ve got a bit of a twinge in my lower back and after the Worlds I’ve hardly picked up a dart.
“I also only got back yesterday from a 14-day holiday in Thailand. But that’s not really it.
“Before the PDC calendar came out, I accepted two exhibitions with the FC Twente business club.”
