Review Valencia – 14 March 2026

The Plaza de Toros of Valencia once again witnessed one of those afternoons when bullfighting merges with the cultural heartbeat of the city. The Fallas Fair holds a unique place within the Spanish bullfighting calendar: it is not only the symbolic beginning of the main season, but also a reflection of the historical bond between the people of Valencia and the taurine tradition. In the stands, seasoned aficionados mingled with curious newcomers and the festive March crowd that fills the arena with the same natural enthusiasm with which the city embraces the fire of the Fallas.

A full house gave the corrida a solemn atmosphere. It is not common for a first-category bullring to display such anticipation weeks before the event, but the combination of two established stars with a local torero returning to the ring had generated special interest. The ovation received by the three matadors even before the paseíllo began was a gesture reminiscent of the old courtesies of the arena, when the public would acknowledge in advance the commitment of those about to face the bull.

The corrida also offered an essential element for understanding contemporary bullfighting: the presence of a bloodline that in recent years has largely shaped current breeding trends. The bulls, well presented and displaying the harmonious profile characteristic of certain modern lines of the cabaña brava, showed a variety of behaviours that forced the matadors to deploy different resources at each stage of the fight.

Alejandro Talavante opened the afternoon with the personal style that has defined his career. Since taking his alternative, the Extremaduran matador has always sought his own space within modern bullfighting, combining intuition, imagination and a certain distance from more orthodox canons. His tauromaquia carries something of artistic improvisation, as if each pass emerged from a moment of inspiration rather than from a pre-planned structure.

In his first bull there were passages of great aesthetic expression. Some natural passes were cleanly drawn and perfectly tempered, with the muleta seeming to glide smoothly over the charge. However, the faena never achieved a solid architecture. The bull marked querencias, and the matador chose to follow that behaviour rather than impose a clearer direction. The result was a fragmented performance, composed of isolated moments that the crowd appreciated but which never fully formed a complete faena.

In the second of his lot, Talavante persisted with his distinctive concept, where bullfighting becomes a kind of creative exercise. There were flashes of inspiration, passes of notable plastic beauty and sequences reminiscent of his most imaginative self. Yet the work became too prolonged and gradually lost intensity. A lack of decisiveness with the sword ultimately erased any possibility of a trophy.

Andrés Roca Rey then appeared with the personality that has made him one of the dominant figures of contemporary bullfighting. His concept is based on three essential pillars: courage, authority and an extraordinary ability to connect with the crowd. From the opening moments he made it clear that he intended to impose his command over a bull that required careful handling.

The Peruvian structured his faena around technical mastery. He lowered his hand, carried the bull long on the flights of the muleta and at times subdued it with passes of notable firmness. One natural series in particular stood out, with the charge tempered and deep, arousing the enthusiasm of the more attentive aficionados.

As is usual in his tauromaquia, the final section of the faena moved into the terrain of close-quarters work. There, where risk becomes visible, Roca Rey often finds the most direct connection with the audience. Emotion grew in the stands as the matador drew ever closer to the horns. However, failure with the sword deprived the performance of an ending worthy of its intensity.

The second bull of his lot offered fewer possibilities. The matador maintained a firm attitude and tried to sustain interest in the fight, but the animal never fully yielded. It was an effort marked more by perseverance than by inspiration.

The truly emotional dimension of the afternoon arrived with the performance of Samuel Navalón. The young Valencian matador was returning to the arena after suffering a serious injury months earlier, and this context added particular depth to his presence in the ring. Bullfighting has always been a story of personal overcoming, and the reappearance of a matador after having come face to face with danger carries a special meaning for the aficionado.

From the outset Navalón displayed a determined attitude. With his first bull he built a faena based on rhythm and continuity. The most accomplished series came on the right-hand side, with long, deep passes revealing a clear understanding of the animal’s conditions. The young matador managed the timing of the work skilfully and brought the faena to a more intense conclusion.

There were moments of genuine connection with the stands, especially when he shortened the distance and finished with a symbolic desplante. The public responded enthusiastically, and the reward came after an effective sword thrust that earned him the first ear of the afternoon.

The bull that closed the corrida allowed the Valencian to round off his performance. The opening of the faena, on his knees, immediately ignited emotion in the arena. From there Navalón constructed an increasingly solid performance, based on composure and naturalness.

The bull charged with class and the matador understood it perfectly. Passes of great cadence appeared, linked harmoniously on both sides. There were moments when the arena fell into that expectant silence that only occurs when bullfighting reaches its most authentic dimension.

A previous failure with the sword prevented a greater reward, but did not stop the public from recognising the scale of the performance. The second ear secured a shoulder-borne exit that held deep significance both for the matador and for the Valencian fans.

The corrida offered an interesting reflection on the current state of bullfighting. The leading figures demonstrated their experience and their ability to sustain the interest of the spectacle, but the most intense emotion arose from the commitment of a young matador returning with the determination to make his mark.

The Valencia bullring, which throughout its history has been the stage for so many memorable afternoons, once again provided one of those occasions when bullfighting becomes more than a succession of formal acts. It was a day in which technique, emotion and the human element that has always formed part of the taurine art came together.

When the young matador crossed the Puerta Grande, carried shoulder-high by his fellow citizens, there was a sense of having witnessed one of those afternoons that mark the beginning of a career. Ultimately, the history of bullfighting is written precisely in this way: with matadors who find, in a particular arena and on a specific day, the moment when their name begins to form part of the narrative of the art.