There were two different pathways towards the alternativa in 2024 - the path that young Marco Pérez was taken on, mapped out well in advance, protected, always facing commercial bulls and infrequently exposed to real competition, and the path that pretty much all the other novilleros experienced, competing amongst themselves with a variety of hierros, each time having to make the case for further contracts. Time will tell which was the most helpful path to embark upon.

As the European temporada got underway, the leading novillero, based on his successes in 2023, was Samuel Navalón (ninth in this year’s escalafón with 19 novilladas). Indeed, it could be argued he maintained this position up until his alternativa at Albacete on September 14, for he went out on shoulders at the end of novilladas at Valdemorillo, Las Matas, Nîmes, Santander, Navas de San Juan, Dax, Ciudad Real, Casas Ibáñez, Millas and Albacete. He also cut two ears whilst injured at El Casar, and, in his home town of Ayora, won seven ears and a tail in a four-bull encerrona. He and his backers were sufficiently confident of his abilities to agree to an early confirmación de alternativa at Las Ventas during its Feria de Otoño, Samuel duly cutting an ear in what was only his third corrida. For my liking, Navalón is a touch too mannered, but there is no doubting his talent, and he and his manager Nemesio Matías will be hoping to put together a significant season in 2025.

Marco Pérez, predictably, finished top of the escalafón on 37 festejos that yielded 82 ears and six tails. Following a double indulto of Bernardo Caicedo novillos at Mérida (Venezuela), Marco began his European season at Andújar at the end of February, leaving on shoulders on every occasion up until mid-June (including at Olivenza, La Linea, Istres and Alicante) except at Arles and Córdoba. The summer was more taxing, the big gate failing to open for him at Santander, San Sebastián, Gijón, Ciudad Real, Casas Ibáñez and his home plaza of Salamanca, although significant triumphs came at Mont de Marsan, El Puerto de Santa María, Íscar, El Espinar, Cella, Toro, Medina del Campo (another indulto), San Martín de Valdeiglesias, Navaluenga, San Agustín de Guadalix, Murcia, San Miguel de Valero and Úbeda. Receiving advice from both Juan Bautista and Daniel Luque in 2024, Marco remains under the Frenchman’s management for 2025, when an encerrona is planned in Madrid during San Isidro (his debut in the capital in a suit of lights), most likely followed shortly afterwards by an alternativa at Nîmes.

*Alejandro Chicharro (image from tendido5.com)*

The next most successful novillero to Pérez was Alejandro Chicharro, third in the escalafón with 59 ears cut from 34 novilladas. In his second season con picadores, the 20-year-old madrileño’s biggest successes came at Mugron (with ibanes), Madrid on May 1 (when he went out the Puerta Grande on shoulders after cutting two ears from three novillos), Las Matas, Miraflores de la Sierra, El Espinar, Colmenar Viejo, Sacedón (five ears from three Domingo Hernández novillos), Villaseca de la Sagra, Pozuelo de Alarcón, Ondara, Valdilecha, San Agustín de Guadalix and Villena, while he cut single ears from bulls in the first class plazas of Bayonne, Valencia and Zaragoza, and lost another Madrid main gate with the sword during San Isidro. He is hoping to take the alternativa early in 2025, possibly during Las Fallas.

The only other novillero to leave through Madrid’s Puerta Grande this year was Roberto Martín Molinero Jarocho, son of the peón with the same apodo. Nineteen years old, but in his second season con picadores, Jarocho’s success in the capital came during the San Isidro feria, when he cut two ears from a bull of Fuente Ymbro and was given a vuelta after his second faena. His other two-ear faenas came at San Agustín de Guadalix, Talamanca de Jarama, Valdetorres de Jarama, Collado Villalba, Briviesca and El Burgo de Osma. The burgalés then took the alternativa at Palencia at the end of August (a mano a mano with Daniel Luque, each matador winning three ears) and had one more corrida, triumphing at Navaluenga, before the season ended.

Javier Zulueta, managed by Pagés, empresa of La Maestranza, and son of the alguacil of that bullring, opted - like the sadly-retired Manuel Román - for a similar path to that trodden by Miguel Pérez. The sevillano, who finished second in the escalafón on 39 festejos, did particularly well at Olivenza (going out on shoulders on his debut with picadors), Almagro, Valdepeñas, Atarfe, La Linea, Huelva, Briviesca and Ayamonte. His season tailed off rather as it went on, with only two ears cut in his last nine novilladas, but the youngster, 19 years of age, remains Sevilla’s best prospect for the future. His likely scenario for 2025 will be appearances in more demanding plazas and an alternativa during Sevilla’s Feria de San Miguel.

Aaron Palacio, from Zaragoza, was the newcomer con picadores who made the strongest impact of the season, winning an ear at Sevilla in May in only his second novillada with the horsemen and following that up with further single ear awards at Dax and Bilbao. By the end of the temporada he had also been declared winner of Arnedo’s ‘Zapato de Oro’ and Algemesí’s ‘Naranja de Oro’ - two important awards from leading ferias de novilladas. Oddly not selected to appear in Zaragoza’s October Feria del Pilar, with 12 novilladas to his name and 17 ears cut, Palacios finished 21st in the escalafón.

*El Mene (image from salamancartvaldia.es)*

Another aragonés, albeit a student at Salamanca’s escuela taurina, Iker Fernández El Mene also received high acclaim for his performances this year. He debuted with picadors at Ciudad Rodrigo in February, winning two ears from his sole animal, and had nine further novilladas from August. He was carried out on shoulders at Arévalo, Villaseca de la Sagra, Arganda del Rey, Herrera de Pisuerga and Alba de Tormes, and, like Palacios, was pronounced triunfador of two major ferias de novilladas - those of Villaseca de la Sagra and Arganda del Rey. His short temporada left him 25th in the escalafón and he’ll be looking for a busier season in 2025.

*Diego Bastos (image from www.sevillataurina.com)*

In his third season with picadors, the 19-year-old sevillano Diego Bastos finished fourth in the escalafón with 37 ears and two tails won from 31 novilladas. Two of the ears were won in 1st class plazas - Sevilla and Valencia - while, in a temporada stretching from March to November and featuring a variety of encastes, notable performances also came at Lora del Río, Constantina (an indulto included), Almorox, Cerceda, Pedrajas de San Esteban, El Casar, Tordesillas and Villaviciosa de Odón.

Valencia’s current favoured son, Nek Romero, was the recipient of an historic alternativa in his home city on October 9, his padrino being Enrique Ponce in his final European corrida. The new matador had chalked up 21 novilladas over the course of the season, finishing 7th in the escalafón and winning 16 orejas. However, 14 of those ears were cut in third class plazas, his six appearances in first class rings netting just two apendices, both in Valencia. His main triumphs occurred at Vinaroz, Navas de San Juan, Cella and San Agustín de Guadalix. All in all, it wasn’t the temporada he may have hoped for at the start, but the alternativa was achieved and a strong showing in Las Fallas next March may set him on his way as a matador de toros.

Twenty-year-old Cristian Galiano Cid de María, from Alcalá de Henares, did not impress this writer when he saw him at Orthez in the summer, but he was winner of the Circuito de Madrid series of novilladas and a participant in the final of the Liga Nacional de Novilladas, held at Sanlúcar de Barrameda in October, when he cut an ear. Fifth in the escalafón on 22 novilladas, his main successes occurred at Algete, Sigüenza, Santa Cruz del Retamar and Méntrida. All his 2024 appearances were in third class plazas and he’ll be looking to appear in more important bullrings in 2025. His recent split with his manager for the past 12 months may complicate things.

*Pedro Andrés (image from www.elespanol.com)*

Originally from the taurine desert of Vitoria-Gasteiz but now living in Valladolid with his apoderado, ex-matador Jorge Manrique, Pedro Andrés debuted with picadors at Villoria in April, winning two ears, and went on to cut an impressive total of 31 ears from his 14 appearances (ending up 15th in the escalafón). Another novillero, who, at this stage, has confined his toreo to third class plazas, his main triumphs came at Malpartida de Plasencia, Casavieja, Sahagún, Orihuela del Tremedal, La Peza and Mojados.

Sergio Sánchez, from Badajoz, debuted with picadors at Olivenza at the start of the 2023 temporada and had a short season of just seven festejos, cutting 13 ears. On paper, 2024 looks less successful - eight novilladas, from which just six ears were cut, although his opponents included some challenging bulls (pedrazas, maños and a fuenteymbro). There were two two-ear faenas, at Olivenza again in March and at Villanueva del Fresno in August. Thirty-seventh in the escalafón, he nevertheless won the 2024 Novillero Circuito de Extremadura and also the final of the Liga Nacional de Novilladas, which ought to stand him in good stead for next season.

One of 2023’s most promising novilleros, Alejandro Peñaranda only took part in five novilladas this season, beginning at Valencia in March and ending at Almorox in mid-August. Fifty-second in the escalafón with seven ears to his credit (two of them won in Valencia and one cut in Madrid), the 22-year-old albaceteño took the alternativa on August 24 at Tarazona de la Mancha, cutting four ears and going out on shoulders alongside Sebastián Castella and Borja Jiménez. He had one other corrida before the season’s end, winning three ears at Munera. He is now amongst the substantial list of promising new matadors looking to make their way in the context of limited numbers of corridas and a longstanding taurine Establishment that sweeps up the bulk of the carteles in which a career-changing impression can be made.

Novilleros with prospects (2024 Season Review Pt5)

Bad losers?