Cool Spanish teenager is no bullfighting clone
(Reuters)
Updated: 2006-07-18 13:59
MADRID, July 18 - Miguel Angel Delgado has the face of a choirboy and
the body of a child, but he moves in the bullring with a calm assurance that
belies his 16 years.
"The boy has all the tools needed to be a major star in bullfighting," said
Pepe Luis Vargas, director of the Ecija bullfighting school in Delgado's home
town in southern Spain.
"He's got class and courage and his head is screwed on tight," said the
retired matador who appeared in top bullrings in Madrid and Seville during a
15-year career and who started training Delgado when he joined the school aged
eight.
More and more bullfighting schools are springing up in Spain, catering to
boys and girls who dream of wearing the sequined "suit of lights" in the
country's bullrings. There are 20 legally registered schools in southern
Andalucia alone.
Some aficionados complain the bullfighting schools are good at teaching
theory but only churn out little bullfighting clones, ill-prepared for the
cut-and-thrust of the circuit.
Delgado looks like being the real thing and has plenty of appearances in
front of real bulls under his belt. He plans to hone his skills over the next
few months, and formally debut in the prestigious Real Maestranza bullring in
Seville.
After one fight, veteran commentator Enrique Romero of Andalucian TV station
CanalSur gushed superlatives.
"I think this is the best performance I've ever seen in a bullfight for young
hopefuls," he said.
Enthusiasts particularly admire Delgado's maturity, the way he passes the
charging bull with an impression of slow-motion elegance which shows he is in
complete control.
RARE ABILITY
Bullfighting veterans will tell you this is a rare gift and much prized.
Vargas is sure Delgado is something special.
|
