Rafael van der Vaart had a successful start to his first taste of competitive darts after winning in the first round of the Denmark Open.
The 36-year-old beat Thomas Andersen 4-2 at the event in Esbjerg, where he ended his football career last year.
The event is an important event in the British Darts Organisation and has been won by the likes of Eric Bristow and Raymond van Barneveld in the past.
The win came despite an embarrassing mix-up with the scoreboard as it showed Andersen incorrectly leading 3-1 before it switched back to the correct scoreline of 3-1 to van der Vaart.
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Unfortunately for the ex-midfielder, who won 109 caps for the Netherlands, he was knocked out in the second round after being thrashed 4-0 by Mogens Christensen.
But he will not have to wait long for his next attempt at darts glory as he returns on Sunday to take on former World Cup runner-up Per Laursen in the Denmark Masters.
A Danish TV commentator was impressed with his performance, and said: “I have been surprised by how good Rafael van der Vaart has played in moments.
“He has played some solid darts and has hit a couple of 100-plus scores."
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Van der Vaart, who played for Real Madrid , Tottenham Hotspur and Ajax amongst others, announced his intentions to take up darts at a professional level soon after his retirement from football.
He made just three appearances at Esbjerg after struggling with recurring injuries, and decided the time had come to end a glittering career in which he won two Eredivisie titles, a Spanish super cup and was a World Cup runner-up with the Netherlands in 2010.
Van der Vaart was also present during a match between two of his old sides when Ajax beat Tottenham at their new stadium in the Champions League, and he was presented at half-time to a warm reception from both sets of fans.
