Morante de Puebla She returned to the forefront this Saturday far from Spain, in Verona, where bullfighting was said in Italian and in the Roman past. There, in the Arena built in the 1st century, the skillful cigar maker collected the Opera Prize … Corrida awarded by the Italian Bullfighting Club and left an image that did not go unnoticed: a cape in the hands, warm speedwells on the old sand and a visibly slimmer bullfighter, with serene gestures and a renewed air.
This wasn’t a planned reappearance, nor was it necessary. His presence is enough for the echo to spread throughout European bullfighting. The event, full of symbolism, was surrounded by the expectation that the Italian Bullfighting Club itself had reflected a few days before in a text published on its website, where it openly alluded to the hope – and caution – of a possible return: Morante continues to be a coveted name, a talking point and a latent desire for businessmen and fans who are already looking ahead to 2026 with suppressed concern.
Since this afternoon of October 12 at Saleswhich is already part of the recent bullfighting liturgy, Morante preferred a discreet retirement from the public scene. That same evening, he left a sentence which is quoted today almost as an aphorism: “I didn’t cut my ponytail, I took it off.”. Since then, we hardly see him anymore. An interview in The New York Times and nothing else. The rest is just rumor.
Rumor fueled in recent weeks by movements and declarations. In Portugal, in Marina Grandereceived a visit from the new businessman of the Maestranza, José María Garzon. And in Madrid, Rafael Garcia Garrido did not completely close the door to a possible presence at Las Ventas in 2026. Comments which put Morante’s name back in the spotlight, even if his entourage insists on stemming the tide: The bullfighter is retired and, they say, it makes no sense to continue building hypothetical scenarios.
In Verona, however, everything was present. Paul Mosolepresident of the Italian Bullfighting Club and vice-president Gaetano Fortini They served as hosts in a sober and sincere tribute. Morante spoke with the cape on, as almost always. And he left. The rest, like so many times during his career, remains suspended in this territory where bullfighting mixes with mystery.
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