The main feature of the 2021 temporada as far as novilleros were concerned was the amount of open competition that took place. While some of the traditional ferias de novilladas were cancelled as a result of pandemic conditions (e.g. Arnedo’s ‘Zapato de Oro’ series), others still occurred, while the leading innovation was la Fundación del Toro de Lidia’s Liga Nacional de Novilladas whose festejos alone amounted to 20% of the novilladas held in Spain during the course of the season. Comprising 31 novilladas across 21 provinces organised into four ‘circuits’ (Castilla y León, Madrid, Andalucía and el Norte), la Liga involved 33 novilleros and 58 ganaderías (representing 15 encastes). Each novillero was awarded points for their performance, with each ‘circuit’ comprising initial novilladas, semi-finals and a final.

The national final took place at Moralzarzal on November 6 and received more media coverage than any other novillada this year. It brought together four novilleros who had also finished in the top five of the temporada’s escalafón de novilleros - Manuel Diosleguarde (winner of the Castilla y León circuit), Jorge Martínez (winner of the Andalucía circuit), Manuel Perera (joint winner of the Northern circuit) and Isaac Fonseca (winner of the Madrid circuit and joint winner of the Northern circuit).

At the final’s close, the overall ‘champion’, confetti and all, was deservedly deemed to be the Mexican Isaac Fonseca. The bulk of Fonseca’s career to date has taken place in Spain, the youngster from Morelia crossing the Atlantic after just 14 novilladas sin picadores in his homeland and becoming a student at Colmenar Viejo’s escuela taurina. In 2018, he won the sin picadores certamen ‘Camino hacia Las Ventas’, then debuted with picadors at Gijón in August 2019, going out the plaza’s puerta grande. Before that season had ended, he’d also been pronounced triunfador of Arganda del Rey’s feria de novilladas. His high hopes for 2020 evaporated with the pandemic and he sat out the very shortened season. This year, the 22-year-old finished second in the escalafón with 43 ears and three tails won from 21 appearances, cutting at least two ears in all but four of them and ending as triunfador of Villaseca de la Sagra’s ‘Alfarero de Oro’ feria. At Moralzarzal, he was the only novillero to face two worthwhile bulls (one of these a sobrero from Victoriano del Río, given a vuelta en arrastre), but impressed with his varied toreo, his structuring of the lidia, incorporating an ability to create drama, and his swordwork. His sights are now set on an alternativa in 2022.

As too are probably Manuel Diosleguarde’s, to my mind the next most impressive participant in la Liga’s final. Both he and Manuel Perera demonstrated how much they have gained from this year’s campaigns (18 and 28 novilladas respectively, the Salamancan - a product of the city’s escuela taurina - finishing fourth in the escalafón), both passing their animals with significantly more temple and control than they’d shown earlier in the year. Another 22-year-old, Diosleguarde has been appearing with picadors since 2018 and, this year, achieved notable triumphs at Toro, Lodosa, Cantalpino (Salamanca) and Santoña. His successes were less frequent in the second half of his temporada, although he did cut an ear in Madrid’s Feria de Otoño. At Moralzarzal, he won an ear from his first novillo, but his second El Torreón animal provided him with no opportunity for a decent showing.

Young Manuel Perera (20) topped the escalafón thanks to an electrifying performance (and a near-fatal cornada) at Vistalegre’s San Isidro feria in May and canny management by ex-matador Juan José Padilla. Padilla took on the extremeño (who‘d been put into an induced coma following a major car crash in 2019 when returning from Ciudad Rodrigo’s certamen de novilladas) after his impressive debut con picadores at Olivenza’s 2020 feria. This turned out to be his only performance that year. This season following Vistalegre, Perera’s most important triumphs occurred at Istres, El Puerto de Santa María, Santander and Sevilla, where he cut two ears during the enlarged Feria de San Miguel. An encerrona at his home town of Villanueva del Fresno prior to Moralzarzal netted nine ears and a tail. Rather keen to get down on his knees, the youngster (armed with a pink-and-blue capote and wearing white stockings) would have cut an ear but for his swordwork to his first animal at Moralzarzal and had a rough time with his second. This is another novillero with the momentum to take the alternativa in 2022.

That possibility is less predictable with Moralzarzal’s fourth novillero, Jorge Martínez, who finished fifth in the escalafón with 15 novilladas to his name. Originally from Murcia, Martínez studied at Almería’s escuela taurina before debuting with picadors in the summer of 2019 - his only appearance prior to this season. He began this year well with triumphs at Palos de la Frontera and Antequera, only to run into a poor sequence from the start of September, cutting just four ears from nine appearances. At Moralzarzal, the 21-year-old looked nervous on his first novillo, putting in a scrappy performance: he managed some fine naturales with his second, only to lose a possible ear with protracted work with both the estoque and the descabello.

Other novilleros

Some commentators have complained about the competitive nature of la Liga, correctly arguing that toreo is essentially an artistic, rather than sporting, endeavour and that there are too many variable factors involved, particularly the bulls, in judging an individual’s qualities accurately on any one given afternoon. However, there is no doubting the amount of media coverage la Liga attracted, and, if this is what it takes to cement novilleros’ names in the minds of the general public so that they continue to take an interest in their careers, so be it. Of more concern to my mind is that the initiative does not address the current economic unviability of putting on novilladas. The FTL’s intentions are clearly to continue la Liga beyond 2021, but with a repeat of la Gira de Reconstrucción (which helped fund this year’s series) cancelled by Movistar towards the end of this season, it remains to be seen whether this will be possible.

In the meantime, other novilladas have taken place. The novillero who finished in the top five of the escalafón but who was not present at Moralzarzal, nor in any of la Liga’s earlier stages, was Victor Hernández, third in the standings after appearing in 20 novilladas. The 22-year-old madrileño, an alumno of Guadalajara’s escuela taurina, had five contracts as a novillero con picadores in 2018 and 10 in 2019, the pandemic keeping him out of the bullrings in 2020. This year, sticking to 3rd class plazas, he cut 47 ears and three tails, including symbolic trophies when he had a bull of El Cotillo indultado at Santisteban del Puerto (Jaén).

José Rojo finished seventh in the escalafón, with 24 ears and four tails cut from 12 appearances in 3rd class rings. The 23-year-old from Trujillo has been appearing with picadors since 2017 and this was his busiest season to date. His temporada began with the indulto of an El Torreón novillo at Almendralejo and he had a number of other successful afternoons, including at Villaseca de la Sagra whose feria he entered as a substitute when other novilleros pulled out as a result of industrial action.

Francisco Montero had the same number of appearances as Rojo, but could only claim a modest eight ears and a tail by the season’s end, when he also parted company with his management team. A novillero who appeared to be on the up in 2019 and 2020, the public and those nearest to him seem to have tired of the 29-year-old’s rough-and-ready and over-emotional approach to toreo. The high point of his year was the indulto of an El Risco novillo at Miranda de Castañar (Salamanca).

Diego García finished ninth in the escalafón (just behind Montero) after appearing in 11 novilladas and winning 22 ears. From San Sebastián de los Reyes, he debuted with picadors in the summer of 2019. The 20-year-old faced a number of encastes this season, cutting ears from the likes of Coquilla de Sánchez-Arjona, Francisco Galache and Flor de Jara.

Alternativa takers

Seven novilleros have taken the alternativa this season and moved up to the rank of matador de toros. Of these, four are worthy of mention.

After three novilladas this year, the leader of the 2019 escalafón de novilleros, Javier Orozco, took the alternativa from Finito de Córdoba at Antequera on September 12; he was injured on his first bull, but returned to cut two ears from his second. The rondeño appeared in one further corrida before the season’s end, at Tafalla, winning an ear from a Prieto de la Cal bull.

Tomás Rufo took part in 11 novilladas this season before a superb tarde de alternativa at Valladolid on September 11, cutting two ears from each of his bulls. As a novillero, he’d already impressed hugely this year with his calmness, application and temple, winning ears at Córdoba, Madrid’s Vistalegre, El Puerto de Santa María and Bayonne. Managed by the Lozanos, this is a torero who looks destined to go far.

Raphaël Raucoule El Rafi, seen by some as the next leading French matador (although my money is more on Adrien Salenc), also had a successful alternativa, going out Nîmes’s Consuls’ Gate after cutting three ears on June 12. His three earlier appearances as a novillero saw single ears cut at Córdoba and Arles. His remaining contracts as a matador were all in France and he may well struggle to appear in Spain, where he has rarely impressed.

Lastly, it seems an age ago (it was 2014 in his third novillada con picadores) that I witnessed an impressive performance by José Ruiz Muñoz, nephew of Curro Romero, at Santander. In 2016, he had three poor afternoons in Sevilla and Madrid, the last ending in a bronca, and following a couple of afternoons in Mexico in 2017, he’d effectively retired. However, the gaditano returned with three contracts in 2019 and, this year, had his busiest and most successful temporada ever, appearing in 14 novilladas and cutting 23 ears (all in 3rd class rings) before taking the alternativa at Requena on October 9, when he won an ear. It remains to be seen how much effort the 26-year-old is willing to put in as a matador de toros.