Raymond van Barneveld is a professional darts player from the Netherlands. He is one of the most successful darts players in history, nicknamed Barney but previously known as The Man. Van Barneveld was previously married to his wife Sylvia and divorced after 25 years of marriage and now he engaged to his longterm girlfriend Julia Evans
Raymond van Barneveld Early Life and Introduction to Darts
Raymond van Barneveld was born on April 20, 1967, and grew up in the Netherlands. From a young age, van Barneveld was introduced to the game of darts by his father.
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Every Friday night, his father would take 13-year-old Raymond to a local pub in The Hague called ‘The Entertainer’. Here, Raymond would play darts, fostering a growing interest in the sport.
At 16, Raymond returned regularly to ‘The Entertainer’. In 1984, at 17 years old, Raymond received a dartboard as a birthday gift. This cemented his passion, and he became devoted to playing darts from that point forward.
Raymond van Barneveld’s marriage life with his previous Wife Sylvia
Raymond van Barneveld was married to his wife Sylvia for 25 years before their divorce in January 2019. Together they had three children – a son William born in 1989, and daughters Daisy and Patty born in 1992 and 1994.
The relationship ultimately could not withstand van Barneveld’s frequent traveling and long absences from darts tournaments.
In the summer of 2018, while van Barneveld was away competing, his wife Sylvia endured a traumatic robbery at gunpoint at their home. This left her shaken and struggling to regain peace of mind.
After 25 years of marriage, van Barneveld and Sylvia made the difficult decision to divorce in January 2019. They now live separately as they move forward from their long relationship.
Van Barneveld’s Marriage Dissolves After New Relationship Surfaces
In March 2019, Raymond van Barneveld was photographed kissing Julia Evans in a hotel lobby. Shortly after, the darts legend confirmed he and wife Sylvia had ended their decades-long relationship.
According to a spokesman, the divorce proceedings had already been underway for a few months before van Barneveld’s new romance went public. The estranged couple had been privately working towards separation, hoping to split on amicable terms and at their own pace.
“I can’t speak for Silvia but they have been working on getting divorced for a few months. They want to do it at their own pace.
“They live their own lives but with a good understanding of each other.”
A spokesman for the darts legend said in March:
Prior to the hotel photographs, van Barneveld’s 25-year marriage to Sylvia was reportedly under strain due to the intense travel required by his professional darts career.
Van Barneveld’s relationship with Julia Evans drew widespread attention to the dissolution of his long-running marriage. Though the breakup process had quietly started months earlier, it signaled a definitive end to the 25-year relationship with Sylvia.
Who is Raymond van Barneveld Fiance?
Following his divorce from wife Sylvia in 2019, Raymond van Barneveld has moved on with a new girlfriend, Julia Evans. The pair first met at a darts tournament and soon began a romantic relationship.
Julia works as van Barneveld’s assistant manager in addition to being his partner. Their romance developed quickly after meeting on the darts circuit that van Barneveld competes on.
Prior to making an official announcement, van Barneveld and Evans were photographed kissing in a hotel lobby. The PDA offered a glimpse into their budding relationship before it was formally acknowledged.
Van Barneveld also posted a loving birthday message to Julia on Instagram,
Wishing my beautiful fiancée a wonderful birthday and here is to many more together ♥️ love you Julia
Van Barneveld loving birthday message to Julia
Though not married yet, Evans has expressed being open to the idea of eventually tying the knot with van Barneveld. She feels they are compatible and likes the thought of growing old together.
Van Barneveld had been married for 25 years to ex-wife Sylvia before their recent divorce. However, Evans differs in that she does not want children, which aligns with van Barneveld’s feelings as he is already a grandfather.
Raymond van Barneveld propose to Julia
Earlier this year in February, Raymond van Barneveld solidified his relationship with his girlfriend Julia Evans by proposing marriage in Paris. The magical moment took place in front of the iconic Eiffel Tower.
Photos captured van Barneveld down on one knee presenting a ring to his stunned partner. The images encapsulate a quintessentially romantic proposal at a landmark location.
In a joyous social media post, van Barneveld announced “She said YES!” He professed his abundant love for Evans, clearly over the moon that she accepted his proposal.
The Paris proposal cements the couple’s commitment to officially tie the knot.
Van Barneveld’s Darts Career
Raymond van Barneveld began competing in darts tournaments at age 17 in his native Netherlands in 1984. That same year he won his first title, the Rotterdam Open. This immediately established van Barneveld as an up-and-coming talent in the darts world.
Over the next several years, he continued honing his skills on the international circuit. His early career highlights include reaching the semi-finals of the 1987 Belgian Open and finals of the 1988 Dutch Open.
World Championship Debut and First Title
Van Barneveld made his debut at the BDO World Darts Championship in 1991 at the Lakeside Country Club. Though he suffered an early exit, he steadily improved his World Championship performances over the following years.
In 1998, van Barneveld finally captured his first World Championship, defeating Richie Burnett in the BDO finals. This made him only the second player ever to successfully defend a BDO World Championship title.
Switch to the PDC and Continued Success
After years of dominance in the BDO circuit, van Barneveld switched to the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) in 2006. He promptly won the PDC World Championship in 2007.
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Over the next decade on the PDC tour, van Barneveld recorded other landmark achievements including two televised 9-dart finishes and several major tournament wins.
Brief Retirement and Return
In 2019, van Barneveld announced his retirement from professional darts after losing in the 2nd round of the PDC World Championship. However, he soon reversed this decision and returned to compete in PDC qualifying events in 2021.
Now age 55, he remains an active and popular player on the circuit with over 200,000 Twitter followers. Raymond van Barneveld has carved out a legacy as one of the most successful darts players of all time.
