Cristo Reyes completely disappeared off the face of planet darts after giving his Tour Card up following the 2020 season, suffering with the COVID-19 outbreak more then most darts players due to his residence in Tenerife, making it very difficult for him to travel to events.
He only attempted Q-School once after this, at the start of 2022, and followed it up with a few Challenge Tours later that month. However, this was followed by near-4-year hiatus from the sport, with zero recorded results in any system.
As his name was slowly forgotten, with the exception of a few devoted social media fans, The Spartan didn’t forget what he was capable of.
Out of the blue Cristo turned up to the Mediterranean Qualifier for the 2026 World Championship in November of last year, and his name on the entry list instantly turned heads.
He fought through the 63-player field, beating the likes of Jesus Noguera, Michele Turetta, and Ricardo Perez in the Final to qualify for his first World Championships in six years!
The gifted Spaniard would go on to lose to eventual finalist Gian van Veen on his return to the Alexandra Palace but put on a very good showing. He brought this form into Q-School a few weeks later, where he breezed through both Stage 1 and Stage 2, beating the likes of Pascal Rupprecht, Chris Landman, Dave Cameron, Jurjen van der Velde and Matthias Ehlers in the Final.
And, like that, Cristo Reyes was back on the Tour!
Reyes was always a very good player, reaching a career high ranking of #26 following his good form in the 2017 season, seeing him qualify for a debut at the World Matchplay, and a second appearance at the Grand Prix. He also made a couple of Semi-Finals on the European Tour in 2017, losing out to Mensur Suljovic in Hamburg and a 115.57 average from Michael van Gerwen in Vienna.
The now 39- year- old made one floor Semi-Final too, losing to Joe Cullen at the Barnsley Metrodome in 2016. This time, despite only being seven months into his new Tour Card, Cristo Reyes is already threatening to break new ground in the PDC. He made his very first ranking Final at the start of July, losing out 8-5 to Cameron Menzies, but it’s his consistency that has put him in such a good position. He currently sits in a spot to return to the Grand Prix in his first year, something very difficult to do, largely because his incredible exploits on the European Tour.
Since the rule change at the start of 2024, European Tour’s have become very difficult to qualify for, offering up just 10 spots per event for the 96 players who don’t qualify for them automatically. Cristo Reyes has won through these qualifiers in 10 of the 14 events so far this year and got a late call-up as a reserve for an eleventh.
This remarkable return has put him in an incredible position to return to Wolverhampton, but also the European Championships in Dortmund. Ask any coach or player and their first year aims are unlikely to include such events.
Yet, Cristo currently sits in 73rd on the Order of Merit despite only having seven months on a 2-year ranking and is already provisionally in the Top 64 for the end of this year by £20k. He doesn’t even need to be there until the start of 2028.
It is an incredible comeback story so, and one that is most certainly a long way from being finished, as Reyes returns Spain to the map of elite darts.
Images: PDC
