Departures of note

Antonio Vázquez Ruano was born in Linares in 1951 and grew up immersed in the bullfighting world, dreaming of becoming a matador and even dressing in the suit of lights as a novillero before finding his true calling on the other side of the barrera as an apoderado, or bullfighting manager. He built a decades-long career as a quiet, old-school figure renowned for his elegance, his feel for the bull and the classical manners of his profession. Alongside his brother, the acclaimed maestro Curro Vázquez, he formed the celebrated management partnership known as "los Vázquez," and together or separately they represented some of Spain's leading toreros, among them Morante de la Puebla and Alejandro Talavante. In later years he guided the career of Pablo Aguado, following the same path he had travelled with Curro, and also managed Cayetano Rivera Ordóñez. At the age of 74 he was still active, travelling to Seville to review the fighting bulls his current protege Pablo Aguado was due to face, when he died in a high-speed train crash near Urda, Toledo, in 2026.