Jose de Sousa believes he can live up to his 'Special One' moniker by winning the William Hill World Darts Championship.
The Portuguese number one plays under the nickname made famous by his compatriot, iconic football manager Jose Mourinho - and De Sousa now believes he is worthy of the tag following his fairy-tale Grand Slam of Darts glory.
The former carpenter who gave up his job to focus on his darting dream has been the surprise package of the the last two years, picking up three ranking titles before defeating James Wade to claim his first televised triumph.
"Winning the Grand Slam was an unbelievable moment for me, it has changed my life," he said.
"It was a big change I made to my life in turning professional but look at me now. It's amazing and I'm very proud of myself."
Having failed to win a match in three previous appearances at London's Alexandra Palace, the number 14 seed believes that his victory at the Grand Slam has given him a new found confidence to take into the sport's showpiece event.
"I never used to believe I was good enough to compete with the top players," said De Sousa.
"Five years ago I was on my sofa at home watching the guys play on TV and I wished that maybe some day I can play against these wonderful players.
"Glen Durrant approached me one day and told me how good he thinks I am. I didn’t believe him at the time but now I believe it.
"I feel like I can win any tournament now, even the World Championship."
2020/21 William Hill World Darts Championship
Schedule of Play
Thursday December 17
Evening Session (1800 GMT)
3x First Round, 1x Second Round
Luke Woodhouse v Jamie Lewis (R1)
Ron Meulenkamp v Boris Krcmar (R1)
Ryan Searle v Danny Lauby (R1)
Jose de Sousa v Ross Smith(R2)
Best of five sets (no tie-breaks in deciding sets)