THE Netherlands' bid to win a second Betfair World Cup of Darts title was boosted on Thursday when Dutch football star Rafael van der Vaart teamed up with Raymond van Barneveld at a special event in Hamburg.
The Dutch aces linked up in a special exhibition game held at HSV Hamburg's Imtech Arena, with van der Vaart joined by team-mates Rene Adler, Dennis Agogo and Marcell Jansen.
The footballing quartet played alongside stars van Barneveld and Michael van Gerwen as well as reigning World Cup of Darts champions Phil Taylor and Adrian Lewis.
"I always follow the darts on TV and it's a real highlight and a welcome change for us," said van der Vaart, who visited the Ladbrokes World Darts Championship during his time playing in England for Tottenham Hotspur.
His love of the sport was shown when, paired up with van Barneveld, the pair won the four-team knockout event - perhaps a lucky omen for the Netherlands ahead of this weekend's event!