Raymond van Barneveld retirement: Confusion reigns as former world champion quits darts before changing mind minutes later

The legendary Dutchman won five world titles with more than 30 years in the sport

Raymond van Barneveld announced his retirement after defeat (Getty)

An emotional Raymond Van Barneveld retired from darts after a 7-1 defeat in the Premier League to Michael Van Gerwen in front of his adoring home fans in Holland – but his agent quickly retracted the decision, insisting the need for time to think.

The five-time world champion had been due to retire at the end of the season but – after losing in Rotterdam on Thursday – decided to quit immediately after signing off his 210th and last appearance with throws of 180 and 140 on his final two trips to the oche.

“Yesterday I don’t know where it came from, I played really bad, I lost 7-1 so today I knew I was in relegation and I felt ashamed,” Van Barneveld told Sky Sports.

“Five-time world champion and I was thinking ‘Do I deserve this? I don’t think so’ but it is reality. I’m not good enough.

“For me I’ve made a decision I am done now. I don’t want the pain any more. It’s pain every single week for the last three or four years.

“I’m OK with this decision. I’m relieved. I’m done.”

He stood to acknowledge his home crowd as the pyrotechnics lit up around him, but just moments after his announcement, Jaco van Bodegom revealed he had already convinced the darting legend to reconsider.

“Raymond had had a very tough 2 nights and in all his emotions he said he was gonne retire right away,” Van Bodegom said on Van Barneveld’s official Twitter account. 

“I just spoke with him and we agreed it is better to take a couple of days to clear the mind and think about the future. I hope everyone understand.”

Van Gerwen walked back his decision minutes later (EPA)

James Wade won six legs from the last seven to move into third in the table with a 7-4 win over Michael Smith.

Second-placed Rob Cross recovered from 3-1 down to beat Jeffrey De Zwaan 7-4 with eight maximums, with Gerwen Price defeating Peter Wright 7-5 and Daryl Gurney sweeping aside Mensour Suljovic.

PA also contributed to this report