*Morante de la Puebla at Santander - one of his relatively few 2024 corridas*

On the sidelines

With the departure of El Juli, intermittent appearances by an unwell Morante de la Puebla and a limited farewell tour by Enrique Ponce, Europe’s 2024 temporada had an unstructured feel to it, the empresas largely relying on other familiar old names to sell tickets.

Morante de la Puebla, whom, no doubt, many empresas were hoping would be a major draw once again, ended up on the season’s sidelines with a temporada plagued with illness. There had been rumours throughout 2023 of a return to mental ill-health: in 2024, there was no hiding the fact, Morante even granting an interview to a Times journalist midseason in the hope that someone beyond Spain would be able to find a solution to his mental health problems, which he felt were worsening. He had a poor start to the season, with only three ears to his name (none of them won at Sevilla) after 11 corridas by the end of April. San Isidro, Córdoba and Jerez were no better, although he did cut three ears at Toledo and two at Cáceres before withdrawing from his contracts for June and most of July. His Santander comeback was promising (two ears with a petition for a third) and another salida a hombros was secured at Azpeitia eight days later. But then performances dipped again, with just the occasional single ear until, at the end of August, he cut his season short. He finished ninth in the escalafón after 35 corridas had yielded just 19 ears, and, at the time of writing, it remains to be seen whether he’ll be back in 2025.

Enrique Ponce, his personal life in some upheaval, had retired suddenly during the 2021 season and ever since some in the mundillo had been saying he should have a proper temporada de despedida. The valenciano opted to do just that in 2024. In truth, his sequence of 24 corridas was another affair on the sidelines, barely impinging on the season as a whole. There were mixed results, too. His best afternoons came at Granada, Istres (an indulto included), Algeciras, Santander, El Puerto de Santa María, Marbella, Gijón, Almería, Valladolid, Salamanca, Murcia, Pozoblanco, Úbeda and Zaragoza, but the public of Burgos, Dax, Málaga and Bilbao kept their handkerchiefs in their pockets. The farewell tour was capped with a generous two ears in Madrid and two ears from an extra bull at Valencia.

José María Manzanares could be said to be part of the current taurine Establishment, finishing sixth in the escalafón on 43 corridas in his 22nd year as a matador, but he had a woeful season and could hardly be regarded as a key player. His only significant successes came at Jerez in May; Marbella in June; El Puerto de Santa María and Gijón in August; and Villena, Móstoles and Murcia in September. His appearances in 1st class plazas netted only single ears at Valencia (twice), Bilbao, Nîmes and Zaragoza. Being a member of the ‘casa’ Matilla, however, continues to keep him busy.

Showing promise or deserving more contracts

One ‘new name’ matador (although he took the alternativa as long ago as 2012) who did manage to break through in 2024 was David Galván. In truth, he’d been tipped to do this for some time, often suffering injuries that put him out of action at crucial points in his career. Finishing 19th in the escalafón with 20 corridas to his name, the gaditano convinced with three strong performances in May - one in Nîmes and two in Madrid - then had further successful afternoons in Istres, Alicante, Manzanares, El Puerto de Santa María, San Roque, Dax, San Sebastián, Illescas, Pozoblanco and Vera. Managed by the Ruiz Palomares ‘casa’, who have managed to place him outside of the enclave of Southern Spain, David will be looking to cement his newly-won reputation next year and follow in the footsteps of Emilio de Justo and Fernando Adrián to join the main feria circuit.

There were a number of other toreros who showed promise at some points in the season, in some cases serving as arguments for improved opportunities in 2025.

Román (25th in the escalafón with 17 corridas) began his season by taking on six bulls at Valencia’s Las Fallas, cutting two ears on what turned out to be a difficult afternoon, in terms of both the bulls and the weather. Next up were two afternoons in Madrid, one with pedrajas and the other with fuenteymbros, the valenciano cutting an ear on both occasions. A cornada at Vic Fezensac put him out of action for a month, but he cut an ear from a cebadagago at Pamplona and won two ears at Valencia’s Feria de San Jaime after a bull of Santiago Domecq was indultado. He appeared in a number of summer festivales, presumably to gain more time in front of animals, but strong showings in corridas generally eluded him other than at Huesca and Corella. His performances this year in the first class plazas, however, should stand him in reasonable stead for 2025.

*David de Miranda (image from www.bmftoros.com)*

David de Miranda had another strong season, finishing 27th in the escalafón with 37 ears and four tails cut from 15 corridas. He began the year with a three-ear triumph at Aracena, then cut two ears from a Santiago Domecq bull in Sevilla. Other significant triumphs came at Palos de la Frontera (two ears from a cuadri), Huelva (an encerrona that yielded seven ears and an indulto of a bull from José Luis Pereda), Valencia de Alcántara, Olvera, Utrera (with another indulto), Arcos de la Frontera, Montoro and Niebla.

As mentioned previously (see ‘A great feria produces a surprise triunfador’), José Fernando Molina had a strong temporada, culminating in that award from la Feria de Albacete following a three-ear afternoon. Earlier, he cut ears in each round of the Copa Chenel certamen before finishing as runner-up to Víctor Hernández in the Grand Final. The 24-year-old also achieved puerta grande triumphs at Villarobledo, Tomelloso, Villamalea and Marchamalo and was joint triunfador with Christian Parejo in Bayonne’s six-matador corrida during the city’s Atlantic Feria. The bulls for his September 22 appearance in Madrid’s Las Ventas provided little opportunity for success, but he can look back on his 14 corridas - 10 more than last year - with a great degree of satisfaction. He cut 20 ears altogether and finished 30th in the escalafón.

Clemente (32nd in the escalafón after 12 corridas) had another strong year in France, but experienced mixed fortunes in Spain. There were just two appearances in the latter country - an afternoon in Zaragoza’s San Jorge feria with bulls of Ana Romero, when he heard three avisos on the first but was given a vuelta al ruedo after the second, and then Azpeitia’s award-winnng Murteira Grave corrida, when he took a vuelta before cutting an ear. In France, his season began with an ear cut from a La Quinta bull at Arles, and then there were exits on shoulders at Istres, St Vincent de Tyrosse, Stes Maries de la Mer (with pedrazas), Chateaurenard, Dax (with a bull of Santiago Domecq indultado), Béziers (with the indulto of a Robert Margé bull) and a departure through the Consuls’ Gate on his debut as a matador at Nîmes. Hopefully, next year will see more corridas in Spain for the man from Bordeaux.

Juan Ortega’s temporada was strong in terms of publicity and critical reception, albeit less so in terms of results, the sevillano finishing fifth in the escalafón with 47 corridas but a tally of just 36 ears. After leaving his bride at the altar in the off-season, he was a torero the Spanish public wanted to see, and his contract numbers reflected that. Early triumphs at Valdemorillo, Almendralejo and Arenas de San Pedro, crowned by two ears at Sevilla on April 15 and another two at Zaragoza six days later, promised much. He lost a Madrid ear with the sword on May 23, then things fell away from him, two ears at Granada, Roquetas de Mar and Azpeitia being his only further significant sucesses up until the end of July. Marbella, Almería and Andújar were his sole remaining salidas en hombros this temporada. Nevertheless, José Carlos Arévalo - to mention one esteemed critic - named Ortega as “el torero que mejor torea de todos los toreros” at the season’s end. It remains to be seen whether Juan has made the most of his 2024 opportunities to achieve a similar level of appearances in 2025.

Sevilla’s other big hope, Pablo Aguado, with a similar number of corridas as the year before, had a stronger season than in 2023, cutting single ears at Sevilla and Jerez before achieving successful afternoons at Santisteban del Puerto, Utrera, Sanlúcar de Barrameda, El Puerto de Santa María, San Sebastián, Andújar, Móstoles, Salamanca, Villafranca de los Barros and Torrejón de Ardoz. He appeared in 31 corridas in all, finishing 13th in the escalafón with a total of 33 ears.

Curro Díaz had but one appearance in a 1st class plaza in 2024 (a pre-San Isidro corrida in Madrid), but ended up 17th in the escalafón, with 43 ears to his name from 20 afternoons. His main successes came at La Carolina, Osuna (with victorinos), Antequera, Linares (where he won five ears from six bulls, keeping true to his home public after his fellow matadors had withdrawn on the day of the corrida over a squabble with the authorities over one bull), Ejea de los Caballeros, Cortegana, Villanueva del Arzobispo, Bargas, Úbeda, Montoro and Jaén (where he cut four ears from victorinos). A veteran matador with a style all of his own, it’s a scandal that the main empresas persist in ignoring him.

Manuel Escribano, marking his 20th year of alternativa with a best-selling autobiography, had a successful season (finishing 12th in the escalafón on 31 corridas), although over half of it was spent in 3rd class plazas. He had an epic afternoon with victorinos in Sevilla on April 13, being injured on his first bull but returning to cut two ears from his second. An afternoon at La Carolina the following month yielded maximum trophies - four ears and two tails. His sole San Isidro appearance, with adolfos, resulted in a vuelta, while at Alicante’s victorinada, he cut two ears, only the president denying him a third. At Cabeza la Vaca in July, he won four ears from bulls of Assunçao Coimbra, then claimed an ear from a Miura at Pamplona. August was a strong month - a salida a hombros at Huesca; four ears from victorinos at Guijuelo; an ear from a Murteira Grave at Málaga; two ears from a Miura at Sanlúcar de Barrameda; an encerrona at Tarifa with more commercial fare where he earned 11 ears and a tail; and a three-ear afternoon at Priego de Córdoba. Further triumphs followed at Melilla, Alcázar de San Juan, Villacarillo, Villamartín, Fregenal de la Sierra, Corella and Jaén. Escribano is probably the most accomplished torero with toros duros currently.

Another veteran, Morenito de Aranda, came to the fore this year with a three-ear triumph with bulls of Los Maños at Vic Fezensac that earned him the title of feria triunfador. He went out on shoulders again at Burgos, Mont de Marsan (cutting an ear from each victorino), Dax, Valencia de Don Juan (where his bull of Araúz de Robles was indultado) and Madridejos, and also appeared in several festivales from August onwards. His two 1st class ring appearances in Spain (Madrid and Zaragoza) both yielded a vuelta al ruedo. He finished 24th in the escalafón with 22 ears and a tail from 17 appearances.

Schooled in Bézier’s escuela taurina, Christian Parejo spent most of his season in France, but impressed on his confirmación de alternativa in Madrid and during the Copa Chenel certamen, where he cut two ears in the opening round at San Agustín de Guadalix, made it through to the semi-finals and was unlucky not to be a finalist. In France, the 23-year-old had an impressive four-ear afternoon at Istres, also went out on shoulders at Châteaurenard and Saint Gilles, and was joint triunfador with Molina in Bayonne’s six-matador corrida de opportunidad at the end of August. Christian, 34th in this year’s escalafón, will be hoping for an increasing number of contracts in Spain in 2025.

Damian Castaño put on an heroic performance in Club 3 Puyazos’ Feria del Aficionado, returning with an injury from his first Dolores Aguirre bull to win a vuelta after the lidia of his second, then, in the summer, gained further attention with two strong performances at Bilbao (winning an ear from another dolores) and Madrid (ovación y vuelta). Thirty-fifth in the escalafón and mainly facing toros duros, his sole exit on shoulders occurred at Béjar in September. Damian has already been announced for an historic encerrona with Dolores Aguirre bulls at next year’s Feria del Aficionado and will be wanting a triumph there to set him up strongly for the remainder of the temporada.

El Cid had eight corridas, two more than in 2023, and won ears in six of them. Each of his appearances in 1st class plazas - Sevilla in its April feria and two afternoons in Zaragoza - netted an ear, with a petition for a second oreja in Sevilla that was turned down by the president. Elsewhere, Manuel Jesús triumphed at Moraleja, Roa de Duero and Sanlúcar de Barrameda’s miurada. A lowly 40th in the escalafón, here is another veteran performing well and deserving of more contracts.

*Ismael Martín (image from okeysalamanca.com)*

After cutting an ear in a San Isidro novillada, Salamancan Ismael Martín took the alternativa during Burgos’s June feria, winning two ears, and went on to leave plazas on shoulders in every corrida he took part in - Arévalo, Peñaranda de Bracamonte, Valladolid, Salamanca and Alba de Tormes. Finishing 49th in the escalafón with 16 ears and a tail from his six appearances, here is a new matador (one who places his own banderillas, too) deserving of more opportunities across a wider geographical area.

Fortes (102nd in the escalafón) had just two corridas in Spain all year, the first in his home city of Málaga, a mano a mano with Andrés Roca Rey, in which he emerged the triunfador, cutting ears off each of his bulls, and the second in early October at Montoro, when he left on shoulders after winning three ears. He is now in a mature period as a matador de toros, an established favourite in Málaga, and, although recapturing the numbers of corridas he once enjoyed in the past is probably now an impossibility, is worth catching sight of when he does appear. His return to the management of Nacho de la Serna indicates ambition for a busier season in 2025.

On the sidelines or deserving more (2024 Season Review Pt3)

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