José Cubero Sánchez

José Cubero Sánchez

José Cubero Sánchez , called "El Yiyo" (born April 16, 1964 in Bordeaux , France , † August 30, 1985 in Colmenar Viejo , Madrid province ) was a well-known Spanish torero .

Life

Born in France as the son of Spanish emigrants , he moved back to Madrid with his parents soon after his birth , where he grew up and went to school in the Canillejas district. In Madrid he also became a student at the famous bullfighting school, the "Escuela Nacional de Tauromaquia".

He made his debut as Novillero in 1980 at the age of 16. The promotion to the Matador de Toros, the Alternativa, took place on June 30, 1981 in the bullring in Burgos. The solemn confirmation of this promotion, the confirmación, took place on May 27, 1982 in the most important bullring in Spain, the "Las Ventas" arena in Madrid.

He died on August 30, 1985 at the age of 21: in the small bullring in Colmenar Viejo (province of Madrid), he stood in as a replacement for the bullfighter Curro Romero, who was unable to fight that day due to illness. With the sixth and last bull of the day, “Burlero”, he executed the death blow ( estocada ) with great precision , but did not go around the bull in an arc that was too wide enough for it to hit him. As a result of his evasive action, the young bullfighter lost his stability and was pushed to the ground by the turning bull and then taken by the horns. The bull's left horn penetrated El Yiyo's chest below the left shoulder blade and into the heart.

The bullfighters who rushed up immediately were able to lift him from the horn of the trotting bull that had already been fatally hit, but his head was now raised, but he could no longer be saved. His last words were: "He killed me". A few minutes later he passed away.

In his honor, a statue was erected in front of the Las Ventas Arena in Madrid.

Grave of "El Yiyo" in the Almudena cemetery in Madrid.

literature

• Rolf Neuhaus: The bullfight: A small cultural history: Berlin 2008