Six confirmants risk their dreams at the Madrid Fair

San Isidro will once again be the fair of confirmations. Six young people will make their debut in the plaza that takes away dreams, but gives them to those who dedicate themselves. It will be their opportunity to make a statement and knock on the doors of all the fairs. Although these days, they are increasingly prepared earlier, often with little variety, it does serve as a showcase for professionals and amateurs to take notice and help them achieve their goals and ambitions in such a tough profession.

Clemente has experienced this toughness firsthand. Ten years ago, he fought at Las Ventas as a novillero. Now it's his turn to open the fair, which he sees as "a great responsibility, but also a reward for much effort and several years of struggle." He took his alternative in Zamora in 2016, but has rarely set foot in Spain since. And he knows he needs a triumph at the Monumental, because, although in France "I already have a following and fans are discovering me," Madrid is the first step to making his way here. "And in the entire bullfighting world," he notes. With a very classic concept (Simón Casas said he was the "reincarnation" of Pepe Luis Vázquez), "I have the ambition that my personality will be liked and I can make my way in Spain."

And he believes the dream opportunity has arrived at the perfect time: "It's been a long road, but I think it would have been hasty to go sooner. I'm now at a certain point of maturity, a point where I've also bullfought enough to reach Madrid and not be inexperienced. So I think this also takes some pressure off and allows me to arrive with the confidence I've acquired over these years." Furthermore, the lineup couldn't be more to Madrid's liking, with bulls from Victoriano: "It's a very important lineup. I've followed Talavante throughout his career, and I've worked alongside Ortega as a novillero, and I admire his concept of bullfighting, his purity, and I'm delighted to know that we're going to be performing as matadors for the first time."

On the patron saint's day, it will be Alejandro Chicharro's turn, a bullfighter who will return to the Monumental after triumphing last season: "To leave through the main door is something that can't be explained." With exactly two months left in his alternative, he will be making his way to the bullring in "his" arena, and "the excitement and desire are tremendous, and also for the fans in Madrid to see my development as a bullfighter."

Despite his youth, he notices he's adapting to the bull, although the biggest difference "is the fear I have," he says with a laugh. "It's noticeable, because he's been in the bullfight for a while. It's not the same tricking your little cousin as it is tricking your father. It's the same with bulls, although they're much more direct, because it's a different kind of charge in which they're more truthful from the start." And he emphasizes that the Ventas fans are going to see a different bullfighter: "In the little while I've been here, I've seen a tremendous and enormous evolution as a bullfighter, and I hope he continues to grow and they give me some opportunity to be consistent. Luckily, Madrid is less than a week away now so I can earn him."

In these tough times for Mexican fans, it's good to see bullfighters continue to emerge. This is the case of Diego San Román, who enjoyed a great bullfighting experience in Spain, but the pandemic halted that positive momentum, "although sometimes we don't know. It may also have helped me delve deeper into myself, because in the end, when you're well as a person, you're complete, and you have God in your life, you reflect that in the ring and in your maturity as a bullfighter." So, with that maturity for which he thanks God, he arrives excited, hoping to recover "the atmosphere I had as a bullfighter, because here you have to earn everything day after day." And the fair is the best showcase: "Bullfighting in that arena isn't easy, even less so in San Isidro, but it's what you prepare for."

Curro Díaz will act as his sponsor, "a master, he has a lot of class and I love him," and Román will be the witness: "he's a great bullfighter, who leaves his soul in every afternoon with every pass." He will face the Fuente Ymbro bullfight, which "is completely different from the Mexican bull, because the one from here has to be fought very slowly, you have to push it and do things with great tact, but this one is almost the opposite, because it pushes, it has a lot of mobility, you have to be very lively with them." Although this weekend he continues bullfighting across the pond, "I've had the opportunity to prepare a lot on ranches in Spain, and I think I'm getting the hang of the charges."

We can't forget the situation in Mexico, which has us all very concerned: "The issue is complicated, but we trust that the government will not be influenced by economic interests and will let the law prevail, because we professionals will file injunctions and make a lot of noise so that the law rules in our favor."

The second "No hay entradas" (tickets are sold out) of the fair was posted for Rafa Serna's confirmation, who knows all too well what it means to give his all in the Chair of bullfighting, and the consequences that can have: a bull broke his femoral in 2017 on "the most important afternoon of my career, the day of the worst goring I've ever suffered." But the Sevillian also saw a devoted crowd: "I owe a lot to this bullring, because if I had put the sword in, I would have left through the front door." Now comes the time for that afternoon he's fought so hard for over the years: "I need a really strong victory, and Madrid is the place that can help me take that leap."

He'll share the bill with Urdiales and Roca Rey. With those teammates, especially the Peruvian Condor, it's only natural that the role ran out. "I expected it, given the strong lineup. That makes me even more excited, although it increases the pressure a little. But I hope it's an afternoon that changes the course of my career and the fans see the bullfighter he's created in the shadows." Madrid or Seville? "May 29, Madrid."

Alejandro Peñaranda already knows what it's like to triumph at the Monumental: almost two years ago, he emerged victorious in the Cénate Las Ventas competition. He took his alternative last August and now lives solely for the bullfight on June 4th: "From the moment they tell you you're going to be on the bill, your mind, no matter how many commitments you have beforehand, always goes to Madrid, and many nights you lose sleep. But there are also days when you wake up and think about positive things, that everything will go well and that it could be a day that changes your career forever."

For now, he hasn't noticed the slowdown in passing the bull to the young bull, and "perhaps that's what motivates me most about going to Madrid: to give it my all to leave a good impression and for the fans to want to come back and see me. And then to grow, because I think I have a lot more to give, and to try to fight in as many bullrings as possible and achieve as many triumphs as possible. I think that's what every bullfighter seeks, right?"

He knows what San Isidro entails, because "it's no longer about being heralded in the most important bullring in the world, but rather doing so at the most important bullfighting fair in the world," and the responsibility is paramount, "because I know that not everything goes there and that Madrid fans are looking for a bullfighter who gives his all and does things very well, and that's the idea I have in mind." He will walk the bullring alongside Escribano and Joselito Adame, "two bullfighters with a lot of character who won't leave anything behind. So I'm going to try to give it my all and win the fight."

Bullfighting is so international that even a Swiss-born bullfighter will be participating. Although it was by chance, because Ismael Martín is a true Salamanca native. "Confirmation is another goal accomplished." He has barely a year of alternative, and "being able to step foot in Madrid again, now as a matador, and being able to participate with such a beautiful lineup and with such a prestigious and reliable ranch is a dream come true." Ismael, a young man who is joyful in life and in his bullfighting, follows in his godfather's footsteps as a bullfighter with banderilleros: "For me, Maestro Fandi is a true example of effort, sacrifice, and tenacity, and he's a wonderful person. He also makes me work hard every day in the ring every time I meet him."

The Granada native is one of Ismael's role models, and the one who has given him the best advice, especially ahead of this event: "He's taught me many things, and one of them has been to live responsibility differently. These are afternoons when you have to be thankful to be on the bill. That way, if you enjoy yourself and do what you know, the crowd will enjoy you." He knows his season depends on this afternoon, "but I have to go into it with a different attitude than last year, because that responsibility made me get stuck and blocked, so I have to be more relaxed."