Examination of the top 50 of the 2022 escalafón of matadors reveals that most toreros have performed more or less as they did in 2021 (from José María Manzanares in 4th place with 49 corridas and 62 ears cut, managing the occasional triumph, albeit generally outside the big plazas, to Morenito de Aranda in 50th place, who fought slightly fewer corridas than the previous year and achieved roughly the same results, an indulto at Roa del Duero excepted). I could go on to detail, for instance, that both Miguel Ángel Perera and Paco Ureña recovered some ground after difficult starts to their temporadas; that Álvaro Lorenzo’s season went the other way, from promising to same-as-before; and that Ginés Marín, despite the praise received from some quarters, basically ended up in the same position at the season’s end as he had had at its beginning - not yet a figura. But the aim of this article is to pick out those matadors who performed particularly well over the course of the temporada, plus those who were notable disappointments. It may contain some surprises, and certainly points to toreros worth keeping an eye on over the next year.

Toreando with distinction

The other matador, in addition to Tomás Rufo, to have a breakthrough year was fellow toledano Ángel Téllez, thanks to strong performances at San Isidro. After taking the alternativa at Guadalajara in April 2019, he fought 12 corridas in all that year, none in 2020 and just three in 2021. The Madrid performances - a strong faena with a compliant Arauz de Robles bull on May 17 winning him a substitution 10 days later when he cut an ear from each of his bulls and left through the Puerta Grande - gained him a total of 22 corridas in 2022 and 20th place in the escalafón. The results post-Madrid were somewhat patchy, his most successful afternoons coming at Torrejón de Ardoz, Soria, Borox, Alcázar de San Juan (where he had a bull of Toros de El Torero indultado) and Navaluenga, while contracts at Valencia, Mont de Marsan, Málaga, Bilbao, Bayonne, an autumn afternoon in Madrid and Zaragoza produced little apart from the occasional vuelta. After taking on Simon Casas as his manager in August, Téllez will need more notable triumphs in 2023 to keep the momentum going.

After linking up with Cristina Sánchez to manage his temporada, Antonio Ferrera had a very good season in terms of contracts, finishing third in the escalafón with 57 corridas to his name (compared to 32 in 2021) and a fine tally of 96 ears and eight tails. This included two indultos, one during his magnificent March encerrona of Victorino Martín bulls at Olivenza and the other in August at Tarazona de Aragón. Other notable performances came at Higuera la Real, Caravaca de la Cruz, Istres, Badajoz, Algeciras, Santa Cruz de Mudela, San Roque, Vitigudino, Villarrobledo, Tarazona de la Mancha, Tomelloso, Tarazona de Aragón, Pueblo de Don Rodrigo, Palencia, Cuéllar, Priego de Córdoba, Motilla del Palancar, Don Benito, Pozoblanco, Las Rozas, Villarejo de Salvanés and Villafranca de los Barros - minor plazas in the main, although Antonio did end the season with a two-ear faena at Zaragoza. He fought a wide range of bulls (including five miuras at Pamplona) and, as ever, drew criticism as well as praise for his eccentric toreo, experiencing the wrath of spectators at Vic Fezensac, Mont de Marsan (where he was put on twice as the feria’s 2021 triunfador), Béziers and Albacete. The fact that eight members of his cuadrilla (including Cristina Sánchez) have announced their departure in recent weeks also indicates that not all is well with the extremeño.

Cayetano Rivera Ordóñez Cayetano, now 45, also had a strong temporada, appearing 26 times (15th in the escalafón), compared to a total of just six festejos in 2021. He produced 10 two-ear faenas, these coming at Añover de Tajo, Ubrique, Huesca, Valencia de Alcántara, Arenas de San Pedro, Ampuero and Alcañiz. Only four of his appearances were in first class plazas, but he cut single ears at San Sebastián and Málaga and earned a vuelta at Zaragoza. How much longer will he keep going?

Two years after his alternativa, 20-year-old Mario Sotos had another season of increased numbers of contracts and decent results, albeit still confined largely to third class plazas. Finishing 9th in the escalafón after 34 corridas, Mario’s best afternoons came at Malpartida de Plasencia, Castilléjar, Motril, Olvera, Guadix, Zufre, Motilla de Palancar, Casa de Cáceres, Piedrabuena, Niebla and Albox.

David Galván was another matador to experience a substantial increase in contracts in 2022, 17 corridas this year compared to just two in 2021, and ended 25th in the escalafón. As has been the case previously, his appearances in first class plazas were unsuccessful (although he was awarded a vuelta in Zaragoza following a faena to a Los Manos bull), but he worked further afield from the Cádiz region than usual and triumphed at Alalpardo, Estepona (indultando a bull of Juan Pedro Domecq), San Fernando (where an encerrona yielded eight ears and two tails), La Linea, Campofrío, Arcos de la Frontera and Santa Olalla del Cala. Success in one of the major plazas could see the 30-year-old break through next year.

2022 was one of Rafaelillo’s best temporadas, the veteran finishing 28th in the escalafón on 16 corridas. His main successes came at Las Ventas (where he cut an ear from an adolfo), Caravaca de la Cruz, Pamplona (three ears from bulls of La Palmosilla), Tomelloso, Linares, Damiel and Murcia (where he and Antonio Ferrera fought mano a mano with victorinos). My report of his Cuadri afternoon at Mont de Marsan on July 22 highlighted his new-found calmness and temple. Rafael Rubio has signed with Nacho Lloret, the empresa of Alicante, for next season after moving on from Manuel Martínez Erice.

Another longstanding matador, the Mexican Joselito Adame, impressed on his first attempt at a full temporada in Europe for some years - he ended up 44th in the escalafón with 11 corridas to his name. He would probably have had more contracts if his May 17 afternoon in Madrid had gone more successfully: as it was (see my report of that afternoon), he recovered superbly from a nasty cogida and it was just his swordwork on both his bulls that prevented a possible Puerta Grande triumph. He did go out on shoulders at Burgos, Soria, Huesca, Arenas de San Pedro, Damiel, Jódar and Corella. Hopefully, Spain and France will see more of him in 2023.

Another Mexican who impressed, but was more of a surprise, was the young Leo Valadez, 35th in the escalafón on 13 corridas. The 25-year-old took the alternativa from Adame during Zaragoza’s 2017 Feria del Pilar and had confined his activities to Mexico since then up until his May 22 confirmación de alternativa in this year’s San Isidro, when he won an ear following a determined faena to a tricky bull of Torrealta. Istres the following month saw him cut four ears and a tail; Pamplona in July brought a salida a hombros; August included two ears cut at San Sebastián and a further ear at Bilbao; and there was a further Puerta Grande exit at Salamanca in September. After such a track record in important plazas, Valadez could have a busier temporada in Europe next year, should he wish to do so.

Juan Leal is another extranjero who could break through in 2023. The 23-year-old Frenchman went out on shoulders this year at Arles, Nîmes, La Brede, Bayonne and Albacete (where he was tremendous - see my September NATC piece) and cut single ears in the Spring at Zaragoza and Madrid. Established in France, he needs better representation in Spain and has taken on Simon Casas as his manager to achieve just that.

In 2021, la Copa Chenel propelled Fernando Adrián into a more respectable number of contracts the following season (he ended 48th in the escalafón with nine corridas): this year’s competition winner was Francisco de Manuel (54th in the escalafón with eight corridas), who went on to stake a claim for further corridas in 2023 with an exit through Madrid’s Puerta Grande in the final corrida of the capital’s temporada after cutting three ears in the company of no less than Alejandro Talavante and Andrés Roca Rey. Another two-ear faena was produced at Colmenar Viejo and the 22-year-old also had two successful trips to Venezuela during the course of the season. Francisco’s manager, ex-matador Manuel Campuzano, will be working hard to mount a significant campaign for his torero next year.

Fernando Robleño was reckoned by many to be the author of the best faena of the season in Madrid’s Las Ventas. It came with an imposing bull of José Escolar on September 18, described by the 43-year-old matador as “the afternoon of my life”, although protracted swordwork meant it end with two vueltas of the arena after the president ignored a majority petition for an ear. In nine contracts (making him 51st in the escalafón), the only other big triumph secured by the plucky madrileño was at Almorox in August, but the Madrid afternoon will have kindled his desire for further such successes next year.

On the strength of a much-lauded afternoon at Cenicientos in August, when he won an ear from a bull of Juan Luis Fraile y Martín and a vuelta after his faena to an adolfo, Adrián de Torres (31), from Linares, was put on in Madrid’s Feria de Otoño. Confirming his alternativa 10 years after becoming a matador, Adrián impressed on both his Adolfo Martín bulls and is likely to have done well enough to be put on again in the capital in 2023. With just three corridas this year, he finished 99th in an escalafón of 166 matadores de toros.

Disappointments

The biggest disappointment of the temporada was undoubtedly Alejandro Talavante, returning for his first full season after his ‘retirement’ at the end of 2018. The much-hyped comeback, four afternoons at San Isidro (where it was rumoured he was being paid 250,000 euros per corrida), was disastrous, the extremeño winning one ear on his first appearance but receiving whistles on two others. He seemed extremely rusty, trying to find his way back to the Talavante of old. And this feeling lasted for most of the rest of the season, with just six two-ear faenas (at Aranjuez, Nîmes, El Puerto de Santa María, Bilbao, Arles and Salamanca) from 66 bulls. His final Madrid appearance in the Feria de Otoño even involved three avisos sounding on his last bull. The matador’s recent announcement that his management arrangement with Joselito has ended comes as no surprise - the original idea was a management partnership with Joselito and Joaquín Ramos, only for the latter to sadly die before the season began, and Joselito has previously said, based on his brief experience of managing César Jiménez, that he wasn’t cut out to be an apoderado. A mundillo that reflected toreros’ current worth would see Talavante (who finished 10th in the escalafón in 2022) struggling to obtain contracts next year…

Pablo Aguado’s temporada was also disappointing, although there were indications that he was reaching good form as the season ended. He produced two-ear faenas at Castellón and La Linea in March and April, but a much-needed triumph in Sevilla eluded him, his four faenas in the Feria de Abril ending in silence. Thereafter, successes were few and far between - his two ears at Baeza in May weren’t reproduced until Cuenca towards the end of August, but performance picked up after that with further exits on shoulders at Valencia de Alcántara, Medina del Campo, Cehegín, Almódovar del Campo, Vera and Ubrique, and an ear was awarded to him at La Maestranza’s Feria de San Miguel. The sevillano finished 8th in the escalafón with 36 corridas.

Juan Ortega had a similar season to 2021, with a respectable number of contracts (30 festejos, which put him 13th in the escalafón), but no real substantial triumph. His best afternoon was probably at Ronda in September. Other two-ear faenas came at Arnedo in March, on both bulls at Manzanares in July, at Roquetas de Mar the same month and El Puerto de Santa María in August. Inconsistent with the sword, his results in first class plazas were dreadful, although he was awarded a vuelta in Madrid’s Feria de Otoño. He has opted for a change of management for 2023, leaving Simon Casas for José María Garzón, whilst retaining his longstanding mentor, Pepe Luis Vargas.

Although his contract numbers increased, Román Collado Román, generally facing toros duros, achieved no two-ear faenas all year and heard three avisos at Guadalajara in September (a circumstance that also befell him in Peru at Coracora the month before). He narrowly missed a Puerta Grande triumph in Madrid on May 28, receiving an ear and a vuelta after his performances with bulls of Luis Algarra, and he cut a further ear in Valencia on October 12, but otherwise his performances in the major plazas were uninspiring.

Many observers reckoned that 2022 would prove to be a breakthrough year for Sergio Serrano, but in the event that didn’t happen. He finished 29th in the escalafón with 16 corridas, five more than in 2021, but the albaceteño’s two San Isidro afternoons were ultimately unsuccessful and his only two-ear faenas were all in the province of Albacete, at El Bonillo, Tarazona de la Mancha and Albacete itself.

2022 also represented a big opportunity for Alejandro Marcos following his success in his home town of Salamanca the year before. His contract numbers doubled and he finally confirmed his 2017 alternativa in Madrid, but strong kills and triumphs eluded him. He managed just one two-ear faena, at Alba de Tormes in April, from the 32 bulls he faced during his campaign. He finished 34th in the escalafón and may never get another chance to make sufficient impression to join the main feria circuit.

Fellow Salamancan Damian Castaño was another torero regarded as being on the up in 2021. Although his contract numbers increased (he came 39th in the escalafón with 13 festejos), he managed just one two-ear faena, at Valdepeñas, compared to the seven he’d achieved the year before. Just four other ears were won during the course of his temporada.

Lanky Pepe Moral, 46th in the escalafón with 11 corridas, was out of the main rings apart from two unsuccessful afternoons in Las Ventas. He managed three two-ear performances at Roa de Duero, Constantina and Santa Cruz de Mudela - all plazas out of the spotlight.

After his superb performance with victorinos at Cali in December, there were high hopes that 2022 would see a revival of Luis Bolívar’s taurine career. But it all came to naught. He appeared just twice in Spain, in the first class plazas of Madrid and Bilbao, receiving whistles on his first bull in the capital and silence after his faenas to the rest.

Let us not dwell too much on these disappointments, however. All in all, 2022 was a fine temporada, full of interest, with some great performances from established figuras and a number of new names coming through. After the skeleton temporada of 2020 and the partial season of 2021, we once more had a full year’s worth of corridas and decent attendance figures to boot.