*Víctor Hernández on the first of two important Madrid afternoons*

Apart from Morante de la Puebla’s historic temporada, the real interest of the 2025 season lay outside the upper reaches of the escalafón. This is where the major developments in individual matadors’ toreo occurred, and this is where the figuras of the future will come from.

Pablo Aguado (14th in the escalafón, with 29 ears cut from 31 corridas) enjoyed his strongest temporada to date, one of real evolution in which his ability to torear bulls broadened. His season got underway at Castellón in March, when he cut an ear, while the following month saw his first salida a hombros at Pozoblanco. His Feria de Abril appearances only netted him a vuelta al ruedo, but he was wonderful that May 8 afternoon and should have been awarded an ear - an apendice that did come at Madrid just over two weeks later. June saw a strong afternoon in Granada, July at Tudela, and then August brought success at Marbella, El Puerto de Santa María and Cieza. In September, he tasted triumph at Aranjuez, Nîmes and Pozoblanco once more. Although his final afternoon in the Feria de Otoño at Las Ventas was unsuccessful, here is an artista who is broadening the range of bulls with which he can perform well - something his fellow sevillano Juan Ortega has yet to master.

David de Miranda (17th in the escalafón, with 61 ears and a tail cut from 23 corridas) has been crying out for a breakthrough for the last couple of seasons without getting a response from the empresas and, for a while, it looked as if 2025 would be the same again. After a luckless afternoon in Madrid with toros duros, David made the most of his Sevilla appearance with El Parralejo bulls, winning three ears and being pronounced the Feria de Abril’s triunfador. In former times, this would have led to a calendar of contracts in the main plazas, but that’s not how the mundillo functions these days. However, from the end of June, he embarked on a substantial string of triumphs, with exits on shoulders at Soria, Cabeza la Vaca, La Linea, Huelva (twice), Villanueva de Córdoba, San Roque, Málaga (where he was the feria triunfador), Aracena, Valencia de Alcántara, Almería, Linares, Muro, Pozoblanco and Las Rozas. He also cut a further ear in Sevilla during the San Miguel feria in a typically gutsy performance. A change of apoderado will occur for 2026, when he will most likely link up with one of the big empresas.

David Galván (18th in the escalafón, with 31 ears and two tails from 22 appearances) had a similar season to 2024, showing promise and variety, but never quite achieving that breakthrough he deserves. His season began in France in April with a triumph at Gamarde les Bains. His next corrida, at Zaragoza with Castillejo de Huebra bulls, was a disaster, the gaditano hearing three avisos on both his animals. He should have come away with at least an ear from his May 5 corrida in Madrid, but it was not until May 17 at Los Barrios that his season experienced an up-turn, Galván winning four ears and a tail. Algeciras saw another successful afternoon. A Los Maños bull injured him at Soria, but the summer brought triumphs at Manzanares, La Linea (four ears and a tail cut in a victorinada mano a mano with Emilio Justo), El Burgo de Osma, Daimiel (three ears from adolfos) and Ejea de los Caballeros, while disappointments came at the more important plazas of Santander (with miuras), Málaga, Dax (with pedrajas) and Albacete (with victorinos once more). His last two corridas, both victorinadas, brought him an injury at Las Ventas and an exit on shoulders at Jaén. His entry into the main carteles has often been gained via toros duros, limiting his chances for success but also running the risk of being typecast with such animals - it remains to be seen whether this is a successful strategy towards Galván obtaining a regular feria spot or not.

In 2024 he appeared in only two corridas, but this year Saúl Jiménez Fortes finished 20th in the escalafón, with 21 corridas and 19 ears. His temporada began in his home plaza of Málaga, where Saúl accompanied Roca Rey in a salida a hombros, and was consolidated by a strong San Isidro performance on May 21, when he was given a vuelta al ruedo. Now restored to the major plazas, Fortes achieved successes at Marbella, Pamplona and Baza, while single ears were cut at Cuenca, Albacete and Valladolid (from a victorino) amongst other bullrings. It has been a long road back to the major ferias for Saúl, but a welcome return for a matador who is now showing a considered, classical approach.

Still marginalised despite his impressive track record of successes and his being one of only three top toreros - Roca Rey and David de Miranda being the other two - who regularly take risks in their toreo, Fernando Adrián was 21st in the escalafón, winning 37 ears and three tails from 19 appearances. He didn’t manage a Puerta Grande performance in Madrid this year (although he did cut an ear in la Beneficencia), but he did go out on shoulders at Illescas, Arles, Albacete, Torrejón de Ardoz, Teruel, Pamplona, Santander, Pontevedra (where one of his victorinos was indultado), Sabiote and Cuenca (two more indultos), Alcalá de Henares, Guadalajara and Zaragoza. At the season’s end, the Cuenca empresa Maximino Pérez stepped down as Adrián’s apoderado; in 2026, he’ll remain independently managed with the sevillano Santiago Ellauri taking care of things.

José Fernando Molina (23rd in the escalafón, with 23 ears from 18 corridas) had slightly fewer corridas this year than in 2024 and made less impact, but it was a strong temporada for the manchego nevertheless. Two-ear faenas were only achieved at Tomelloso, Manzanares, St Vincent de Tyrosse and Tarazona de la Mancha, although there was another strong performance at a Murteira Grave corrida at Málaga where only the president denied him a triumph, and single ears were cut at Albacete (thrice) and Azpeitia amongst other plazas.

Samuel Navalón (25th in the escalafón, winning 26 ears and two tails from 16 corridas) had a nasty end to his season, with a near-fatal injury to his throat while placing banderillas to a novillo in a festival at Algemesí. A split with his manager was announced while the youngster was still recuperating in hospital. In his first full season as a matador de toros, Samuel’s biggest successes occurred at Alicante, Ciudad Real, Albacete and Arles: Sevilla, Madrid, Mimizan and Daimiel were the only plazas where he failed to cut ears. Assuming he recovers well from his goring and links up with an influential apoderado, 2026 should bring the valenciano further triumphs.

26-year-old Víctor Hernández (26th in the escalafón with 25 ears from 16 corridas) created a lot of excitement on the basis of two strong afternoons in Madrid. In San Isidro, he won an ear after an astonishing faena with a terrible bull and then lost a Puerta Grande exit with his swordwork to his second animal. The critics made favourable comparisons to Hernández’s idol, José Tomás, prompted by Víctor’s determination to achieve passes and to stand his ground come what may. The madrileño’s ability to build on this success, however, was frustrated by a serious cogida the following month at Torrejón de Ardoz that left him with a fractured skull. He didn’t return until mid-August, winning an ear at Málaga. He went on to appear in seven more corridas (leaving on shoulders at Alcalá de Henares, Almazán, his birthplace of Los Santos de la Humosa, and Villaviciosa de Odón) before making a return to Madrid in the opening weekend of the Feria de Otoño, when he had another strong afternoon in the capital, cutting a further ear. Once again, an opportunity to win another ear was frustrated, this time by a goring during a quite of saltilleras to another matador’s bull. Víctor summed up his approach recently when he said, “The essence of toreo puro is entrega” - a strong 2026 temporada beckons for the former Copa Chenel winner, who has signed with Miguel Abellán as his new manager.

Clemente (33rd in the escalafón with 18 ears and a tail cut from 13 appearances) impressed on his confirmación de alternativa in Madrid and appeared more frequently in Spain this year, going out on shoulders at Huesca and Las Rozas, but hearing three avisos at Gijón. In his homeland, the French artista had another successful temporada, with triumphs at Arles, Nîmes, Istres and Dax’s September feria.

Ismael Martín (39th in the escalafón: 19 ears and a tail cut from 11 corridas) saw a modest increase in his corrida numbers this year but spent a fair part of the season gaining more experience in front of bulls in Peru. He is making a name for himself as a matador-banderillero with ambition, chalking up successes this year in Spain at Burgos, Guijuelo, Peñaranda de Bracamonte, Toro and Navaluenga, as well as two triumphant afternoons in his home plaza of Salamanca.

Another young matador from Salamanca province, Manuel Diosleguarde (58th in the escalafón), had a short but promising temporada, every corrida he appeared in ending with his going out on shoulders. The triumphs came at Zamora, Arévalo, Vitigudino, Guijuelo and Béjar. With his performances more or less confined to the Salamanca region since his near-fatal goring at Segovia in 2022 that halted his post-alternativa momentum, Manuel will be hoping to appear further afield in 2026.

Old-timers still showing well

*(Image from deltoroalinfinito.blogspot.com)*

Curro Díaz appeared in 16 corridas, cut 21 ears and finished 27th in the escalafón. He received two ovations in Sevilla and two silences in Madrid, and it wasn’t until August that he won his first ears in a corrida, his fifth of the season at Villanueva de Córdoba. He cut further ears at Saintes Maries de la Mer, El Burgo de Osma, Ampuero and Écija, but his main triumphs occurred at Linares and Peraleda de la Mata before he closed his temporada with an encerrona at Úbeda, where he cut five ears, and a victorinada at Jaén, where his singular toreo saw him carried out on shoulders.

Manuel Jesús El Cid (30th in the escalafón on 16 corridas) won a total of 19 ears and was also the triunfador of the important feria of Santander in what was his most successful season since his return to bullfighting in 2023. His afternoons with victorinos at Sevilla and Mont de Marsan were unsuccessful, but he was magnificent with the ganadería at Santander and ended the year with a further triumph with victorinos at Jaén. In between, he went out on shoulders at Ciudad Real, Valencia de Alcántara, Alcázar de San Juan, Bolaños de Calatrava and Villacarrillo and was reckoned by many to have been author of the best faena at Albacete’s feria, where he faced animals of La Quinta.

Now 50 years old, Diego Urdiales only appeared nine times this year, ending up 44th in the escalafón. He began the season in March with a triumph at his home plaza of Arnedo and went on to win an ear at Sevilla and go out on shoulders at Alfaro, Bilbao (where he came in as a substitute and achieved his fourth puerta grande in the Basque capital) and Logroño. At the season’s end, perhaps dissatisfied with his low number of corridas, Diego parted company with his long-term manager, Luis Miguel Villalpando, and in 2026 the riojano will be managed by Israel Vicente, son of the matador’s first-ever apoderado, David Vicente Iglesias.

Newcomers showing promise

Yes, that is a toro bravo in the photo above (taken at Santander in July) and not a novillo… Marco Pérez (15th in the escalafón) took the alternativa on June 6 at Nîmes’ Pentecost feria, winning two ears from his second bull, and then had 28 further corridas. With the general public behind him and his appearances (including a number of comfortable corridas mixtas) handpicked, the 17-year-old recovered from a fractured hip after a cogida in Alicante and left through the main gate at Salamanca (twice, with a particularly impressive performance on his first appearance), Istres, Santander, Huelva, Huesca, Antequera, Tarazona, Andújar, Arles, Murcia, Nîmes, Pozoblanco and Úbeda among other plazas. His tally at the season’s end was 66 ears (nine of which were awarded in first class rings) and six tails. 2026 will be a key season for him - how favoured will he be by the empresas? How protected will he continue to be? And to what extent will his toreo evolve?

After a second impressive season as a novillero, including triumphs at Valencia, Zaragoza, Arles, Madrid, Sevilla, Pamplona, El Puerto de Santa María and Albacete, Aarón Palacio’s alternativa occurred at Nîmes’ September feria, the zaragozano leaving through the Consuls’ Gate after cutting three ears. Identical awards came the youngster’s way the next day at Logroño, where his showing meant he was put on a second time, winning a further three ears. His temporada ended in a mano a mano with Sebastián Castella at Zaragoza, both matadors leaving the plaza on shoulders. Palacio’s tally of 11 ears from four appearances left him 68th in the escalafón but, together with El Tato’s management, amounts to an impressive springboard for a successful 2026.

Where the real interest lay (2025 Season Review Pt3)

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