Not too long ago, Jose De Sousa was spoken of as one of the very best players on the planet. The Portuguese thrower had the swagger, the scoring power, and the nickname The Special One to match. But fast-forward a few years and the sparkle has dulled, his form has nose-dived, and what was once a rapid ascent has turned into an almighty fall from grace.
Rewind to late 2020. De Sousa was flying – Grand Slam Champion, European tour event winner, and hitting maximums as if he was on commission. By 2021, he’d climbed to world number seven and capped it off with a Premier League campaign that saw him reach the final, losing only to Jonny Clayton. Life was good, and Jose looked set to sit at darts’ top table for a long time.
But in darts, form is fragile. One moment the treble 20 looks like a barn door, the next it’s a pinhole on the horizon. For De Sousa, the victories dried up, confidence slipped away, and the excuses began. In his case, the Portuguese pointed towards the COVID jab he was required to take in order to keep competing.
Whether that really was the true cause or just a convenient excuse, even Jose might not be entirely sure.
The truth is simple: form comes and goes. When you’re winning, life feels golden. When you’re losing, you start questioning everything – even that shiny new sports car you splashed six figures on when the trophies were rolling in. And once defeats start piling up, the route back to the mountain top only seems steeper.
By 2023, De Sousa’s major appearances had become fleeting, and when they did come, they ended early. His ranking inevitably slipped, and by last season, his only TV outing outside the obligatory UK Open was the World Cup – by default, since he’s the only Portuguese player with a tour card. Not exactly a high bar to clear.
Meanwhile, social media filled up with pictures of Jose proudly holding giant fish rather than practicing on the dartboard. Lovely for his soul, less useful for his scoring average. His supporters may smile politely at the catches, but they’d much rather see him catching trebles than trout.
And that’s the problem. This isn’t just a dip in form anymore – it looks suspiciously like a dip in motivation. His body language screams disinterest, his interviews ooze self-pity, and the determination that once made him dangerous seems to have evaporated.
That lovable smile and infectious grin turned into frowns, moans and shrugs.
Of course, de Sousa is far from the only player to point the finger at external forces to explain a torrid spell.
Excuses in darts are almost as common as Luke Littler 180s, and considerably more creative. But when you’ve been one of the world’s best, blaming jabs, bad luck, or fate only goes so far. At some point, you either get back on the board and grind, or you watch your career slip away.
It’s looking increasingly likely that the Iberian thrower could be the first PDC major champion of this decade to lose his professional status. Of course, 2020 Premier League winner, Glen Durrant no longer competes on the circuit. But while Duzza stepped away from the Pro Tour on his own terms, De Sousa’s exit would be less retirement plan and more eviction notice.
Coming into the final lap of the PDC season – and what is likely to be The Portuguese’s farewell race – José de Sousa’s tour card status will all come down to one day in Wigan. With De Sousa having failed to qualify for the Grand Slam of Darts – the very major he famously won – and was miles off the pace for the Players Championship Finals in Minehead, it’s last-chance saloon time. If José doesn’t secure one of the qualifying spots on offer for the World Championship, he will fall off the tour.
Should he fail, the Q-School route awaits – and beyond that, the Challenge Tour would still offer him opportunities. The ladder is there. But it’s no good if you don’t want to climb it.
Make no mistake – De Sousa’s ability is almost certainly still there. Ask his peers, and they’ll tell you that for 18 golden months between 2020 and 2021, he was almost unplayable. The stats back that up too.
But talent doesn’t last forever if it isn’t worked on. Right now, it’s buried under layers of something: Frustration? Laziness? Arrogance? Or, perhaps, simply disinterest?
If he wants it badly enough, De Sousa could still save his skin – even if he has just one day in Lancashire to do it. The question is whether he actually does.
Ultimately, it all comes down to whether Jose is prepared to dig deep. The only question is: does The Special One actually fancy doing the heavy tungsten spadework required? I guess we will find out on the 24th November.
—–ENDS—–
Images: PDC
