RAYMOND VAN BARNEVELD has been voted as the most popular player in the sport in an online poll.
The Dutchman, a four-time World Champion and the defending UK Open champion, has enjoyed a superb year since joining the PDC in February.
He has won the Budweiser UK Open final in Bolton, as well as four Pro Tour events and the Topic International Darts League, as well as rising into the top 32 of the world rankings.
A poll on the Superstars of Darts website saw van Barneveld come out on top as the most popular player in the sport, ahead of stars such as Phil Taylor, Wayne Mardle, John Part and Chris Mason.
Taylor's popularity and achievements on the oche have seen him selected among the ten-person shortlist for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year.
"Darts is not like football, where it is clear who everybody supports," said Superstars of Darts editor Andy Fairclough.
"Darts fans tend to enjoy the sport and cheer on different players from match to match.
"However it is quite surprising to find that Raymond is the world's favourite player overall, particularly as a large portion of darts' fanbase is in the UK.
"While opinions varied greatly, almost everybody had the Dutchman in their top ten, which in the end made him the clear winner. I guess everybody loves Barney!"
Van Barneveld is also currently leading the way in a poll here on PlanetDarts, which allows fans to vote for their PDC Player of the Year - click here to place your vote.
Top 10 Most Popular Darts Players In The World
1 Raymond van Barneveld
2 Phil Taylor
3 Wayne Mardle
4 Chris Mason
5 Michael van Gerwen
6 John Part
7 Adrian Lewis
8 Ronnie Baxter
9 James Wade
10 Peter Manley
Click here to visit Superstars of Darts