The battle will rage between Juan Leal and Clemente for the closing of the Feria

Juan Leal pardoned a toro in Béziers and triumphed in Bayonne last year. Midi Libre – Stéphan Guin

Clemente a ouvert la grande porte d'Arles devant les Victorino Martin en 2023. Midi Libre – Stéphan Guin

Dauphin of Castella in escalafon for several years and crowned with several successes in the big arenas of France and Spain, Juan Leal will want to strike a big blow against Clemente who has shown his qualities to aspire to this status in during the last two periods.

Author of a great 2019 season with triumphs in Nîmes, Béziers and Bilbao and very notable performances in the major Spanish arenas (trophies in Madrid, San Sebastian and a successful presentation in Pamplona ), Juan Leal was the big victim of Covid with the Mexican Luis David Adame. Scheduled in all the major Ferias in Spain on the eve of the pandemic (Valencia, Seville, Madrid twice), the companies forgot these successes when building the cartels in 2021.

Starting almost from scratch, the Arlésien multiplied the triumphs in France (5 Portes des Consuls in Nîmes, three triumphs in Béziers, and large doors in most first category arenas) and regained his place in Spain with his triumphs in Albacete and its impact in Madrid, Zaragoza (one ear in 2022), Bilbao and Pamplona. If his courage, explosive beginnings and ends of faenas and his ease in extreme terrain remain his trademark, his toreo has evolved to gain density with the muleta in classic toreo sequences.

Leal triumphed in Bayonne, Béziers and Albacete in 2023

In 2023, he triumphed again in Bayonne (three ears), pardoned a toro in Béziers and opened a new big door in Albacete. But an irregularity with the sword deprived him of important successes at the end of high-level faenas (Pamplona, ​​Nîmes, Madrid, Arles…) which would have given a completely different depth to the season of his ten years of alternative.

If Adriano and El Rafi occupy a place of choice in the French escalafon (ten steps each in 2023), a new bullfighter has emerged to take the place of runner-up to Sébastien Castella in France. Clemente is a maestro who has three seasons less as a matador de toros, but his career seemed over with only four paseos between 2016 and 2021. His very minimalist and pure toreo, reminiscent of Juan Mora, appealed to aficionados but the contracts did not arrive. At the first opportunity, he made his mark by cutting off two ears of Victorino Martin in Saintes-marie-de-la Mer in 2022 before confirming in Istres at the end of the season with three ears of Valverde.

Clemente in Zaragoza on April 23 for his return to Spain

His career relaunched, he confirmed his talent last year by cutting off 16 ears in 12 bullfights. With notable triumphs in Arles, always against Victorino Martin, Dax and Istres and cut ears in Bayonne or Mont-de-Marsan. This year, he will have many opportunities to establish his new status because his schedule is already full with Arles, Istres, Mont-de-Marsan, St Martin de Crau, Gamarde and he will make his debut in a &laquo arena ; first » in Spain in Zaragoza on April 23 before confirming its alternative in Nîmes for the Harvest.

While the two bullfighters shared a tenua at La Quinta in Andalusia as an aperitif, they will meet again for a highly anticipated duel for the closing of this Feria d’Arles face to the same cattle. Clemente will want to continue his march forward and show that he can compete against the Arlesian in the big arenas. Although they have very different toreos, Juan Leal will want to remind his compatriot that he remains number 2 in France before his next big meetings in Nîmes and Madrid in the coming weeks.< /p>