Manuel Maria Trindade, a 22-year-old bullfighter, has died after being violently thrown against the wall of an arena during his debut performance at the Campo Pequeno Bullring in Lisbon, Portugal.
Trindade was participating as a “forcado,” a member of an amateur bullfighting team whose role is to provoke and stop the bull in a traditional Portuguese finale known as the “pega de cara” or “face catch.” This dangerous sequence involves the forcado standing in front of the charging bull and attempting to subdue it by grabbing its horns, with support from teammates.
During the performance on August 22, Trindade was targeted by the 700kg (nearly 1600lb) bull. A video circulating online shows the bull charging full speed, lifting Trindade into the air, and slamming him into the side of the arena as horrified spectators looked on. Despite his team’s efforts to gain control of the bull, Trindade suffered catastrophic head injuries.
He was rushed to the hospital and placed in an induced coma, but sadly died the next day following cardiorespiratory arrest. The fatal incident marked his first official appearance in the arena. According to reports, Trindade had followed in his father’s footsteps by joining a local amateur bullfighting group.
The fate of the bull remains unknown, but under Portuguese law, bulls are not killed during the show as they are in Spanish bullfighting.
This tragedy comes just weeks after a similar fatality in Colombia. Yovanis Marquez, 35, died after being gored during a bullfighting festival known as “corraleja” in the town of Fundación. He attempted to leap over the bull but was attacked, and later died in hospital from his injuries.
These incidents have reignited debate over the safety and ethics of bullfighting, which continues to be practiced in countries like Portugal, Spain, France, and parts of Latin America, despite growing criticism from animal rights advocates.