A Spanish matador hailed as the “king of bullfighters” suffered devastating injuries during a comeback performance in Seville on Monday, leaving him in critical condition and sending shockwaves through the sport.
Morante de la Puebla had returned to the ring this week after announcing an unexpected retirement in October, concluding a storied career marked by both acclaim and fame, as well as life-threatening gorings and bouts of depression-driven withdrawal. His appearance at the Maestranza arena was abruptly ended when a botched move enabled the bull to drive its horn into his body.
The bull caught Morante unusually off-guard during a portion of their encounter, bypassing his cape and driving into his hip. The animal then jerked its head upward, goring Morante in the buttocks.
Morante lay motionless as he was removed from the arena, with blood visible on the tip of the bull’s left horn, reports the Mirror US.
Medical personnel later documented the injury as a 10-centimeter (4-inch) wound impacting the anus and sphincter muscles, which also punctured Morante’s rectum. Surgeons cleaned the wound, reconstructed the rectal wall and inserted drainage, according to media accounts.
The procedure was characterized as extensive and complicated, according to the Daily Mail. His condition was deemed grave.
Before his retirement in October, Morante had secured victory in 49 bullfighting contests and claimed the trophies of 55 bulls’ ears and three tails, according to the Times. He had withdrawn from 26 scheduled appearances throughout his career due to injury.
Despite a 75% drop in bullfighting attendance over the past two decades, government funding for the sport hit an all-time peak in 2026 after the Spanish government introduced a $141 million annual subsidy package in March, EW News reported.
However, as 85% of Spain’s population under 35 calls for an end to the sport, and a record 715,000 Spaniards sign petitions demanding a repeal of the laws that safeguard it, bullfighting seems poised to disappear from the nation’s popular culture altogether.
Morante was recognized for revitalizing the declining sport before his retirement, mesmerizing crowds with inspired performances and attracting new enthusiasts of all ages.
Antonion Lorca, a bullfighting critic for El Pais, wrote in 2025: “Morante is a genius, a being born to make beauty dream; a revolutionary, a complete artist, pure feeling, brave, master of a prodigious technique and a dazzling capacity for inspiration.”