Morante de la Puebla had to leave the ring on Thursday night, July 30, after the fifth bull struck him during a mixed bullfight at the Coliseo de Palma de Mallorca. The incident happened as he entered for the final thrust. The bull tossed him, leaving him visibly in pain, and he was taken to the infirmary, where he received five stitches to his hand. The wound did not affect any tendons. ABC, citing Agencia EFE, also reported the cut and his visit to the infirmary. The injury immediately raised concerns about his ability to take part in scheduled appearances in El Puerto de Santa María.
With Morante unable to finish, Sebastián Castella stepped in to complete the contest. Earlier in the evening, Morante had performed strongly with his first bull, but the president denied him the ear, dividing the crowd. The card combined rejoneo, or bullfighting on horseback, with traditional foot bullfighting, and featured Diego Ventura. It drew a large audience but saw no major victories. Guiomas Cortés de Moura provided the bulls for the rejoneo, while Juan Pedro supplied those for the foot fights.
The injury came during a busy season for Morante, whose appearances were expected to draw strong crowds at the El Puerto de Santa María fair. In a later assessment of the 2026 season, Luis Cuesta wrote that all four bullfights featuring Morante at El Puerto drew full houses, while the fair’s subscription total tripled. The figures show the public interest in his engagements, as the injury put his immediate schedule in focus. ABC identified the fifth-bull strike as the evening’s basic incident.
Palma was not Morante’s first serious injury of the season. Cuesta’s retrospective also records a grave goring in Seville on April 20, when Morante was setting the fourth bull with the cape. The wound was reported at about 10 centimetres, with partial damage to the sphincter musculature and a perforation of the posterior rectal wall. Surgery lasted more than two hours. The earlier accident was one episode in a season marked by serious physical risks and strong public demand.
Bullfighting remains a deeply rooted tradition in Spain, particularly in Andalusia and the Balearic Islands, where events such as the Palma de Mallorca corrida attract local and tourist interest. Figures such as Morante can lead ticket sales and media attention, making disruptions to their schedules a matter of public interest. The Spanish cultural scene has also recently faced losses, including the death of Manolo Solo, whose impact on national cinema was noted in coverage of his career and legacy. Cuesta’s later account says Morante’s season ended in Zaragoza on October 17, before a full house, amid controversy after he declined to fight. The Palma injury was one episode in a season that drew public attention and carried physical risks, with uneven results.
