Marco Pérez triumphs in Murcia with four ears and a tail

The Murcia Feria had one of its major protagonists in Marco Pérez. The young matador delivered a commanding performance in the Corrida de la Prensa, the fifth event of the season, cutting four ears and a tail before leaving through the Puerta Grande alongside Emilio de Justo and Borja Jiménez.

All three matadors shared in the afternoon’s success, with the El Parralejo bulls also playing an important role. The overall quality of the livestock was high, with the third bull receiving a lap of honour after its death.

The day began with the traditional Corrida de la Prensa ceremony. Before the paseíllo, the participating matadors received commemorative awards. After the paseíllo, Miguel Massotti, Dean of the College of Journalists, accompanied by Juan Antonio de Heras and Alberto Castillo, presented a commemorative gift to the three matadors.

Emilio de Justo earns his place on the shoulders

Emilio de Justo produced one of the afternoon’s most authoritative performances from the very first bull. He was lively with the cape and also took part in the opening exchanges before beginning a muleta performance made more difficult by the wind.

The Extremaduran matador refused to allow the conditions to affect his performance. He dominated the bull on both sides, linking his passes with confidence and building a performance based on authority against an animal that offered plenty of possibilities.

The final right-handed sequence was particularly elegant. He then delivered a decisive sword thrust and was awarded both ears.

His second bull presented a greater challenge. De Justo received it one-handed before leading it towards the horse with a series of chicuelinas. He began the muleta work on his knees, but the bull had less willingness to charge and ultimately proved the least impressive animal of the corrida.

The matador continued searching for solutions and found his best moments on the left before the bull gradually lost its momentum. A high sword thrust brought his performance to an ovation.

Borja Jiménez continues to impress

Borja Jiménez had to wait until the fifth bull for his big reward, although he had already demonstrated his ability with the second.

He began his muleta work with cambiados in the centre of the ring before showing great firmness against a bull that repeatedly charged from both sides. The Sevillian matador responded with a linked, authoritative performance that grew in strength as it progressed.

The closing manoletinas raised the atmosphere in the arena. The sword, however, proved troublesome and, after a misplaced thrust and two descabellos, the performance ended with an ovation following a mild request for an ear.

The fifth allowed Borja to settle even further. His performance gained depth as he found his rhythm and position, with particularly impressive passages on the left, the muleta passes finishing well behind him.

Once again, the matador demonstrated the maturity and confidence that currently define his bullfighting. This time he finished successfully with the sword and was rewarded with two ears.

Marco Pérez takes centre stage

Marco Pérez was the outstanding figure of the afternoon. From his very first encounter with the third bull, he made his intentions clear, opening with a larga cambiada from the knees, leading the bull towards the horse with chicuelinas and then performing an eye-catching quite by navarras invertidas.

His muleta performance began on both knees and developed into a varied display of controlled, precise bullfighting on both sides. Marco quickly found the right distance and rhythm for a bull that offered him plenty to work with.

The young matador gradually took complete control. He pushed the bull on the right and extracted everything possible from each charge. He finished once again on his knees, bringing the crowd to its feet.

He committed fully to the sword and delivered a decisive thrust. The quality and authority of the performance earned him the maximum reward: two ears and a tail.

But Marco still had another major performance to deliver.

Against the sixth, he once again stood out in the quite with chicuelinas. He dedicated the faena to businessman Ángel Bernal and, in a gesture of concentration, asked for the music to be stopped so that he could focus entirely on the bull.

The animal presented a significant challenge. Marco had to rely on his intelligence, resources and ability to build a performance that gathered momentum as it progressed. He succeeded in imposing himself on the bull and kept the crowd completely engaged with every pass.

Another fine sword thrust brought the performance to a close. The crowd once again called for a tail, but on this occasion the official reward was two ears.

With four ears and a tail to his name, Marco Pérez emerged as the outstanding triumphing matador of the afternoon and left the Murcia bullring on the shoulders of the crowd alongside Emilio de Justo and Borja Jiménez.