Spain’s leading matador, José Antonio Morante de la Puebla, is ‘stable but in pain’ according to the EFE news agency, after being gored by a bull in an incident that has sent shockwaves through the bullfighting world.
The goring occurred on Monday evening during a bullfight in Seville (Andalusia) at the historic Maestranza bullring, where he had been performing to packed arenas following his unexpected return from retirement last year. Crowds had repeatedly filled the stands to see him back in the ring.
According to El País, the attack ‘shattered the corrida … and perhaps even the bullfighter’s season’. Meanwhile, ABC reported that ‘the happiness of the Morante faithful ended’ when the fourth bull of the evening charged, flung him into the air and then ‘the horn drove in’ as he lay on the sand.
According to Spanish media, the official medical report described ‘a 10-centimetre goring with a 1.5-centimetre perforation in the rectum and partial damage to the anal sphincter muscle’. The prognosis was listed as very grave and doctors performed emergency surgery lasting more than two hours.
Morante, born José Antonio Morante Camacho, is widely considered the foremost ‘torero de arte’ of his era, and by some, one of the greatest of all time. Celebrated for his command of the cape, his performances are known for combining daring, spontaneity and artistic elegance, often described by critics as possessing a kind of ‘mysticism’.
In 2023, he became the first matador in 50 years to be awarded a bull’s tail in Seville, one of the highest accolades in the tradition. A recent El País review hailed one of his appearances as a ‘virtuosic, stirring, surprising, baroque work — an act of improvisation by an artist who is not of this world, capable of hypnotising, with a supernatural ability entirely alien to modern bullfighting’. Another commentator went so far as to say it would not be surprising ‘if a religion were founded in his honour’.
However, his career has also been punctuated by extended breaks linked to mental health difficulties. Morante has spoken candidly about suffering from severe depression, which forced him away from bullfighting for periods and ultimately led to his abrupt retirement last year, shortly after a celebrated performance in Madrid.
His comeback this spring, widely seen as unlikely, had reignited excitement at Seville’s bullfighting festival, drawing sold-out crowds and attracting a noticeable influx of younger spectators. ALSO READ: Bull kills former matador during preparations for Malaga’s Easter bullfight.
The incident comes at a time of growing political and cultural tensions over the future of bullfighting in Spain. The left-leaning coalition government of Pedro Sánchez has taken steps viewed by the sector as unfavourable, including the culture ministry’s move to scrap the national bullfighting prize. ALSO READ: Spanish government scraps €30,000 national bullfighting prize, sparking debate.
Divisions persist within the ruling coalition, with Sánchez himself maintaining that bullfighting ‘is not a resolved issue’ politically. ALSO READ: Spain advances legal reform to ban minors from attending or taking part in bullfighting.
On the other side of the debate, opposition figures have rallied in support of the tradition. The far-right Vox party and right-wing (PP) regional leaders such as Madrid’s Isabel Díaz Ayuso have championed corridas as a core element of Spain’s cultural identity. ALSO READ: Disgraced ex-king Juan Carlos flies by private jet to Seville bullfight from Abu Dhabi, drawing cheers and backlash.
Surveys regularly indicate that most Spaniards oppose bullfighting, yet major events — particularly those featuring high-profile matadors like Morante — continue to sell out and attract younger audiences.
Some analysts suggest that this growing polarisation is beginning to alter the nature of the spectacle. Antonio Lorca, bullfighting critic at El País, has warned that increasing politicisation risks turning it into ‘a shameful spectacle … in which standards are abolished, everything is applauded, and [bulls’ ear trophies] are handed out like sweets’, undermining the discipline that once defined the tradition.
ALSO READ: Opinion: why bullfights should stay cancelled after Covid-19.
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Morante de la Puebla pasa la noche en la UCI de un hospital de Sevilla tras su cogida en la Maestranza.https://t.co/XgxDQYHsK7
— EFE Noticias (@EFEnoticias) April 21, 2026
Morante de la Puebla pasa la noche en la UCI de un hospital de Sevilla tras su cogida en la Maestranza.https://t.co/XgxDQYHsK7
— EFE Noticias (@EFEnoticias) April 21, 2026
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