Darts legend Raymond van Barneveld bowed out of his glittering international career after losing in the first round of the PDC world championships at the Alexandra Palace on Saturday.

The iconic winner of five world titles in the BDO and PDC suffered a 3-1 defeat against American outsider Darin Young in a match that turned out to be the farewell game of his magnificent 35-year-long career.

The 52-year-old Dutchman, popularly known as 'Barney', failed to recreate his vintage magic as he received an anti-climactic defeat to end his garlanded career.

The prolific player, who won his only PDC title in 2007 in an epic final against Phil Taylor after winning four BDO crowns in 1998, 1999, 2003 and 2005, had earlier said that this would be his last tournament on the professional circuit.

Playing in front of a full house and after receiving a rousing welcome on stage, van Barneveld lost the first set 3-2 before prevailing over his opponent with his best darts in the second. However, the ace Darts veteran got punished for a missed dart at double top from his young opponent and lost the third set 3-2. He couldn't recover from that setback in the rest if the game as Young wrapped up the fourth set draw a curtain in the illustrious career of his veteran opponent.

He showed only fleeting glimpses of the skill that made him one of the greatest players the sport has seen but couldn't prevent Young from upsetting his applecart. He later told the media, "I lost in the first round. In my disaster year - I will never forgive myself. Never ever."