Spain’s ‘greatest matador’ gored by bull in comeback from retirement

He described the pain as ‘enormous’

De la Puebla, 46, whose real name is José Antonio Morante Camacho, attracted large crowds with his comeback.

The renowned Spanish matador suffered the injury on Sunday in Sevilla, his birthplace.

In the video footage, he is seen lifted off his feet as the bull’s horn punctured his bum.

His colleagues then drew the animal away from him by distracting it with their capes.

Morante is now recovering after he was initially in a very serious condition with the 10-centimetre wound, which perforated his rectum.

From his hospital bed, he told El Mundo newspaper that “it was the most painful goring I have ever suffered in my career”.

“I felt enormous pain and I was very scared because I could tell that the bull had gored me and I thought I was bleeding a lot.”

After realizing that he was in fact not bleeding all that much, Morante said that in spite of the pain he “relaxed quite a bit”.

The 46-year-old matador has become arguably the most well-known in Spain in recent years.

The author of a book about him, Rubén Amón, believes he is the greatest Spain has seen.

“He treads on more dangerous ground than anyone,” he said.

“That perfect hybrid of the most powerful, bravest and most aesthetically pleasing bullfighter places Morante out of this world.

On several occasions, Morante had withdrawn from bullfighting, only to return each time.

His comeback in which he made two appearances at Seville’s prestigious April festival had delighted fans.

In Spain, the last professional bullfighter to die in the ring was 29-year-old Víctor Barrio, who in 2016 was gored in the chest during a bullfight in the city of Teruel.

In the country, 77 per cent of the people find bullfighting “unacceptable”, as per a poll taken last year by the BBVA Foundation.