José Carlos Frita Falcão, known as José Falcón (30 August 1944 – 11 August 1974) was a Portuguese

matador A bullfighter or matador () is a performer in the activity of bullfighting. ''Torero'' () or ''toureiro'' (), both from Latin ''taurarius'', are the Spanish and Portuguese words for bullfighter, and describe all the performers in the activ ...

whose

bullfighting Bullfighting is a physical contest that involves a bullfighter attempting to subdue, immobilize, or kill a bull, usually according to a set of rules, guidelines, or cultural expectations. There are several variations, including some forms wh ...

career spanned just over a decade. , he was the last matador to be killed in the ring. Born in Aldeia de Póvoas,

Vila Franca de Xira Vila Franca de Xira (), officially the City of Vila Franca de Xira (), is a city and municipality in the Lisbon District in Portugal. The population in 2021 was 137,659, in an area of 318.19 km2. Situated on both banks of the Tagus River, ...

, Falcão made his first public appearance at a bullfighting event in

Montijo, Portugal Montijo () is a city and municipality in Setúbal District in Portugal. Its name was Aldeia Galega do Ribatejo or simply Aldeia Galega until 1930. The population in 2021 was 55,732, in an area of 348.62 km2. The city of Montijo proper had a p ...

, close to his hometown on 20 May 1962. He became a popular matador and on 15 May 1967 he appeared in a Spanish bullfight at Mérida with Juan Carlos Beca Belmonte and Gabriel de la Casa. During a professional 12 year bullfighting career he headlined many events including 30 in

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

between 1969 and 1970 alone and afterwards showcased his talents in

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

on 13 December 1970 in an event with Joaquín Bernadó and

Antonio Lomelín Antonio is a masculine given name of Etruscan origin deriving from the root name Antonius. It is a common name among Romance language–speaking populations as well as the Balkans and Lusophone Africa. It has been among the top 400 most popular m ...

. Falcão's career came to an abrupt end in August 1974 in

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

, after being gored in the leg by the

bull A bull is an intact (i.e., not Castration, castrated) adult male of the species ''Bos taurus'' (cattle). More muscular and aggressive than the females of the same species (i.e. cows proper), bulls have long been an important symbol cattle in r ...

while working with the

muleta A muleta is a stick with a red cloth hanging from itmuleta' in the Diccionario de la Real Academia. that is used in the final third ('' tercio de muleta'' or ''de muerte'') of a bullfight. It is different from the cape used by the matador earlie ...

. He might have survived the ordeal had he not insisted on killing the bull, Cucharero, before being treated for his wound, which worsened as the fight continued and the artery in his leg ruptured. He died a few hours after being gored.

External links

"Death Rides the Horns"Circle of Sand
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1944 births 1974 deaths Bullfighters killed in the arena Portuguese bullfighters {{portugal-bullfighting-bio-stub

See also

External links