A leading bullfighter known as the “Messi of matadors” was violently thrown about by a bull after becoming caught between the animal’s horns.
Andres Roca Rey, 29, was swept off his feet and left clinging to the horns of the charging bull as it lifted him and carried him across the Arles amphitheatre in southern France.
Footage of the frightening encounter shows the black bull charging into Roca Rey, leaving the matador struggling desperately to pull himself free from the space between its horns.
Fellow bullfighters rushed in to help, attempting to restrain the animal, named Vicioso. After several tense seconds, about 10 men succeeded in stopping the bull and supporting Roca Rey long enough to release him.
They then used brightly coloured capes to draw the bull away from the bloodied Peruvian matador, who was assisted back onto his feet.
Despite the apparent beating, Roca Rey remarkably returned to confront the bull. Vicioso was later struck with a banderilla, the barbed wooden dart used during Spanish-style bullfighting.
Roca Rey is among bullfighting’s most prominent figures, celebrated for a daring approach that has earned him comparisons with Argentine football icon Lionel Messi. He moved to Spain at 13 to pursue the sport and has since acquired Spanish citizenship.
The high-profile matador has also endured previous injuries in the ring.
The incident last week came only months after he was gored in Seville, Spain, in April. During that encounter, Roca Rey suffered a deep leg wound after a bull impaled him and lifted him into the air.
Andres Roca Rey was lifted into the air and clung to the bull’s horns after being impaled and carried around the amphitheatre in Arles, southern France, last week.
Video captured the black bull ramming Mr Roca Rey from behind before catapulting him on to its head, where the matador remained lodged behind his left horn
The group then try to distract the bull with coloured sheets, before they are able to lead it away from Mr Roca Rey who is later helped to his feet
The Peruvian matador has had several uncomfortably close encounters with the horned beasts, including in October 2024 when he was tossed like a rag doll while attached to the bull’s horns.
Mr Roca Rey was then flipped over into a somersault before he came crashing down onto the sand and curled into a ball to try and protect himself.
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The animal then launched into a second attack and speared the matador’s uniform, shaking him violently as bystanders rushed in to assist as he laid in a crumpled heap on the ground.
The bullfighter was gored five times in his first five fights.
He caught media attention when a shocking video of him being gored by a rampant bull emerged in 2016.
The incident marked the fourth time Mr Roca Rey had been gored that year. He had been back on his feet for only a few days after being knocked unconscious during an earlier event.
The footage shows how the bullfighter had a near miss, leaving some questioning whether he should consider a different career.
The bull could be seen catching Mr Roca Rey on its horns as he attempted a flamboyant pass with his cloak. Stunned spectators watched the then-teenager being sent spinning around the bull’s horns before being thrown to the arena’s sand floor.
Last week’s incident unfolded months after Roca Rey was gored in Seville, Spain. The bullfighter was left with a deep gash in his leg after being impaled and lifted into the air (pictured)
The Peruvian matador has had several uncomfortably close encounters with the horned beasts, including in October 2024 when he was tossed like a rag doll while attached to the bull’s horns
A video captured the horrific moment the matador was impaled by one of the beast’s huge horns in 2024
Then – for a heart-stopping moment before help can get to him – the young bullfighter was gored and trampled by the angry 1,400-lb animal.
Spectators feared the worst as his seemingly lifeless body was carried away by helpers while others tried to tame the bull.
The extent of his injuries was not made clear but he is said to have suffered concussion and a shattered right cheek bone and has been ordered to rest by medics.
According to polling in 2025, around 77 per cent of Spaniards oppose bullfighting. This includes more than 80 per cent of those under 35.