A 22-year-old bullfighter, Manuel Maria Trindade, has died after being slammed into a wall by a 700kg bull during his debut at Lisbon’s Campo Pequeno Bullring.
Trindade was acting as the “forcado,” tasked with provoking the bull for the traditional “face catch” finale. During the act, the bull charged, threw him into the air, and slammed him into the arena wall, causing fatal head injuries. He was placed in an induced coma but died 24 hours later of cardiorespiratory arrest.
Trindade had followed in his father’s footsteps, joining an amateur troupe. The bull’s fate is unclear, though Portuguese law forbids killing bulls in the ring.
The incident follows another recent fatality in Colombia, where a man died after being gored during a local bullfighting event.
Bullfighting remains legal in several countries despite ongoing criticism from animal rights groups.
