I first saw Frenchman Thomas Dufau, who has just announced that 2023 will be his last season as a matador de toros, in a novillada con picadores at Santander in July 2010. The 19-year-old drew two poor novillos of Miranda de Pericalvo that gave him little opportunity in the faenas in an afternoon that brought a triumph for Juan del Álamo, who was to go on to take his alternativa in the Cantabrian plaza the following year.

Dufau, from Mont de Marsan in SW France, also took the alternativa in the July of 2011, receiving the trastos in his home plaza from the hands of El Juli. Since then, his career has been a steady one without ever really taking off and mainly based in France. He featured in seven corridas in 2011, 17 in 2012 (including his Madrid confirmación), eight in 2013, nine in 2014, seven in 2015, 10 in 2016, six in 2017, eight in 2018 (when he cut an ear from a bull of Pallarés in Las Ventas), 11 in 2019, six in the post-pandemic season of 2021 and seven last year. In hindsight, the year of his greatest exposure to the public (2012) came too soon, for he has matured into a torero of interest, always trying to torear according to the cánones however difficult the animal in front of him may be.

In an interview to mark his retirement announcement, Thomas was asked about the best moments of his career and singled out the day of his alternativa, the Madrid afternoon when he won an ear, and two other afternoons, both of which I was present at.

The first of these was his confirmación de alternativa at Nîmes on September 18, 2011, when he took the paseíllo alongside Javier Conde and José Tomás. Dufau’s first bull that day, a Parladé sobrero, was too weak to sustain a faena, but the aquiline-nosed matador made the most of his subsequent jandilla. He met it with a larga cambiada de rodillas, half-kneeling then upright verónicas, and then we were treated to an excellent tercio de varas, the bull securing a derribo on its first entry, and a rather bizarre quite of zapopinas. In the faena, Thomas cited the bull to run in from a distance, beginning with a spectacular cambio de espaldas in the centre of the ring. Series of derechazos and naturales followed, Dufau putting everything he had into it; there were some pases enganchados, but the overriding impression was of the matador’s immense entrega. He brought the faena to an end with very close bernadinas, having to adjust in some of the passes to avoid his opponent, then threw himself over the bull’s horns for an estocada hasta la bola. It was the sword thrust of the feria, and, after a lengthy and courageous fight against death by the bull, Dufau was deservedly awarded two ears (joining José Tomás on shoulders at the corrida’s end) and the bull a vuelta en arrastre.

The other afternoon Thomas highlighted was his corrida of Pedraza de Yeltes bulls in Mont de Marsan last year. The Frenchman knows how to provide a spectacle and his first bull was set up for no less than four entries en varas, sending the picador to the ground on two occasions. The animal had a marked querencia and was a bit wayward in its charges, but Thomas eventually brought off some fine series of derechazos and naturales before killing strongly, his taleguilla being caught on the bull’s horn in the process, to earn an ear. Some fine verónicas, another absorbing tercio de varas and a strong faena to his second pedraza ended disappointingly with a pinchazo and one-third sword delivered in the centre of the ring, but his home crowd petitioned for an ear nevertheless and the matador and mayoral were both carried out on shoulders.

But there were also other afternoons when I enjoyed Dufau’s classically inclined toreo. In 2015 at Orthez, Thomas shared his first Valdellán bull with a course landaise écarteur. A good faena (dedicated to the écarteur) was let down by the ending of four or five pinchazos. The Frenchman had a dreadful cuadrilla that day, and a lack of confidence - shown by his frequent stepping back in passes - and more protracted swordwork did for him in his second lidia, which ended to booing from his compatriots.

In 2019 at Vic-Fezensac, Dufau won two ears off bulls of Cebada Gago. His first animal was particularly clean-charging on its left horn. Although Thomas gave it rather too many naturales ayudados for my liking, the estocada was a strong one and a minority petition led to an ear being awarded, the matador sensibly handing the apendice to a peón before embarking on his vuelta. His second bull was another fine-looking animal and was given some smooth verónicas and a closing remate. The bull showed well en varas, and a number of spectators were unhappy when the trumpets blew for a change of tercio at Dufau’s request. In the faena, with a bull that proved more pliable than its predecessors that afternoon, Dufau produced some nice touches with each hand, highlights being derechazos cited from a distance and a slow farol. The final series was somewhat rapid and ended with two successive chest passes, but another strong estocada heralded a further ear, this time deserved.

The 32-year-old’s announcement that this temporada would be his last was beautifully worded: “Since the age of nine, I have dedicated my life to my passion and have been totally focused on the bull. I’ve also had the good fortune to be able to torear with the greatest toreros, experience the most prestigious plazas and discover the different cultures of the taurine countries I’ve gone to. This passion has seen me grow and develop into a man; it has taught me values such as sacrifice in order to achieve one’s objectives; the self-denial of work; respect for the toro bravo. Above all, it’s allowed me to get to know the most beautiful people with whom I could share profound moments […] I would like to leave one thought to the new generation - that any dream is obtainable, and only work and sacrifice are the masters of our destiny.”

Asked whether the lack of contracts in Spain following his Madrid ear in 2018 prompted his decision to call an end to his career, Thomas commented, “That’s the way the market operates. Triumphs aren’t enough any more to open the feria gates. You also need to count on the backing of an entorno that carries weight in the taurine world. Disgracefully these days, your successes with the muleta and sword aren’t sufficient to put you into the carteles of the great Spanish and French bullrings. In everything I’ve done, I’ve been fully committed to being the best, or one of the best. I’ve always sought excellence, and I don’t want to resign myself to a few paseos a year. Wanting to continue to be the master of my destiny explains my decision. But I don’t want to leave my profession, my passion, with regrets or bitterness - I just want to conserve the beautiful memories of this initial life.” Some memories which this aficionado has been grateful to have shared in.