To get a handle on Portuguese ace Jose de Sousa’s rise to the top of the sport of darts, you only need to track his progress through the World Championship year on year.
He made his debut as far back as 2012, losing out in the preliminary round, before returning to the Alexandra Palace in 2019, where he was defeated in the first round.
But by 2022, De Sousa was playing out a thrilling third round epic with Alan Soutar, fortunately losing out in a final set showdown, while a year later he defeated classy operators Simon Whitlock and Ryan Searle before bowing out to former world number one Gerwyn Price in the fourth round.
Based on that upward curve, the Portuguese thrower should be a considerable presence at the 2024 edition of the World Championship. So can he continue to improve on the biggest stage of them all?
Out of Touch
Those that bet on darts online might consider De Sousa’s odds for the Worlds – 150/1 – to be something of a gift given his ascendance in the sport.
But his lack of form in 2023 means that a bet on darts World Championship might be better off placed on one of the favorites for the title, such as Michael van Gerwen (4/1), Gerwyn Price (11/2) or defending champion Michael Smith (13/2).
It’s true that De Sousa has not been at his best on the oche this year. An early defeat at The Masters set the tone for the first half of the season, while hopes of a deep Portuguese run at the World Cup were dashed when De Sousa and playing partner Luis Ameixa were knocked out of the competition after defeats to Poland and Lithuania in the pool stage.
The 49-year-old got a semblance of revenge when defeating the Lithuanian, Darius Labanauskas, in the fourth round of the UK Open, before he suffered a 3-10 tonking at the hands of Jonny Clayton, while first-round exits at the prestigious World Matchplay and World Grand Prix have only compounded De Sousa’s misery.
𝗠𝗔𝗖𝗛𝗜𝗡𝗘 𝗗𝗘𝗠𝗢𝗟𝗜𝗦𝗛𝗘𝗦 𝗗𝗘 𝗦𝗢𝗨𝗦𝗔 ⚙️
— Live Darts (@livedarts) October 28, 2023
2018 European champion James Wade thrashes an out of sorts Jose De Sousa 10-1 with a 95.5 average, four 180s and a high checkout of 160! #EDC23 pic.twitter.com/ZMex95Tmq4
He would beat Clayton in the first round of the last major tournament played, the European Championship, before suffering a hapless 1-10 defeat at the hands of James Wade next time out.
So those odds of 150/1 are, perhaps, fair given De Sousa’s travails in 2023, but if he can find any trace of improved form between now and the start of the World Championship in December, he may just become the most dangerous of outsiders.
Grand Slam Joy
One of the issues facing the man from Lisbon is that opportunities to string a few wins together are now thin on the ground.
The darts season now has just two warm-up events remaining prior to the Worlds. And sadly, De Sousa’s fallow season means he hasn’t qualified for one of them – the Grand Slam, which he won so memorably back in 2020.
He beat Lisa Ashton and Krzysztof Ratajski in the group phase back in those halcyon days, before taking out Dave Chisnall and Michael Smith in the second round and quarter-finals respectively.
🇵🇹🏆 JOSE WINS THE TITLE 🏆🇵🇹
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) November 24, 2020
Jose De Sousa joins the elite in world darts as he is crowned the 2020 BoyleSports Grand Slam of Darts CHAMPION!
Sheer emotion on the face of Jose as he wins the biggest match of his life in sensational fashion!
Congratulations Jose 👏 pic.twitter.com/JaqMrKkX1G
A nip-and-tuck contest with Whitlock in the semis saw the Portuguese ace edge out the Australian 16-12, before a similarly entertaining contest saw De Sousa down Wade by the same scoreline to win the Grand Slam.
He will be watching on from home this year, with the just the Players Championship Finals later in November left on his calendar prior to the Worlds. Can De Sousa find some form there? If he can recapture his best, he can still be a major danger at Alexandra Palace later this year and into 2024.
