Barney - The Eye Of The Tiger

Raymond van Barneveld is a one off, unique. Each time he competes in a thrilling darts final, millions of people stay glued to their television screens, watching this Dutch guy from The Hague perform. His popularity and fame stem primarily from his impressive displays of dart playing at The Embassy (renamed Lakeside in 2004), a world professional championship darts competition organized by the British Darts Organisation (BDO). He became the first non-English speaking player ever to win the competition, and did this four times! Right from the start in 1991, during his first tournament, the British first tournament, the British embraced 'The postman from The Hague' with open arms. He had no immediate success there that year, but the darts fans still quickly nicknamed him Barney after the cartoon figure from the television series The Flinstones. In 2006, Raymond gave his career a drastic turn: he left the BDO, the association that he was faithful to for many years, and switched over to the competing Professional Darts Corporation (PDC). On January 1st 2007, nine years after his triumph in The Embassy, Raymond again wrote history. In the final of PDC-WC he defeated the considered unbeatable Englishman Phil Taylor, his eternal rival…. In this authorised biography the normally so introverted Dutch darter now opens up about many matters. Forthrightly he talks about his lonely childhood, the difficult relationship with his father and his never ceasing lack of self-confidence. He tells about the high peaks and deep lows in his career, the pressure of being a well-known Dutchman and the sometimes harsh darts world. In Barney, the Eye of the Tiger there is also called upon his wife, family, friends, managers and rivals such as Taylor. Because of this, Van Barneveld's personality gets illuminated from various sides in this unique biography. In spite of all his success Raymond has always remained down to earth, acting much the same way as he did when he was a postman. Shy, not too confident and always searching for recognition. Sport journalists Arnout Verzijl and Hans Willink, who have been following Van Barneveld for over ten years, wrote this moving life story of an 'ordinary' Dutch guy. A tale about survival, death, jealousy, superstition, will power and an unstoppable urge for victory.