Angelica Reinosa
Updated Wednesday, February 7, 2024-13:52
It is
January 7
and
Juan Ortega
has gray pants, a brown vest and his eyes set on a future where he only sees bulls. He is in the Toros de Brazuelas cattle ranch, on a farm near
Valladolid
. The bullfighter prepares in the field with two cows and a bull after Three Kings Day. He wants to perfect his technique and leave behind
his most well-known
horror
inside and outside the bullfighting world
: the cancellation of his wedding with
Carmen Otte Alba
on December 2, an hour and a half before the wedding took place.
Ortega bullfighted on Saturday for the first time this year. He did it in
León (Mexico)
and in the next few days he will do it in Spain. February 10 will be the start in his country of a season that he has always "wanted" and "dreamed of," as he shared in Cope with journalist Carlos Herrera, in the only interview he has given after the controversy of his
non-wedding.
. 2023
was one of the best years
in Juan Ortega's professional career and in 2024 he will remain focused on bullfighting.
To know more
LGBT killer.
Mario Alcalde, the first bullfighter to come out of the closet: "I want to organize a bullfighting club in Chueca"
Editor: JUAN DIEGO MADUEÑO
Editorial: PHOTOGRAPHS: CARLOS GARCÍA POZO
Mario Alcalde, the first bullfighter to come out of the closet: "I want to organize a bullfighting club in Chueca"
JULIÁN GUERRA'S SYSTEM.
The manager with five large doors who 'remotely' directs his bullfighters from the alley
Editor: JUAN DIEGO MADUEÑO
The manager with five large doors who 'remotely' directs his bullfighters from the alley
The bullfighter was born in
Triana (Seville)
on October 8, 1990. He has had a love for bulls since he was a child. He graduated as
an agronomist
, like his father. Studying was a kind of condition in his family, but when he finished he dedicated himself fully to bullfighting. However, he did little bullfighting. He took the alternative in 2014. In 2015 he confirmed in Madrid and from there he was stuck. Until, one afternoon in Linares, in the middle of the pandemic, the Sevillian had a stroke of luck and his name began to be heard. From that moment everything evolves: he begins to fight with the most important and to be recognized.
After the well-known
controversy of December 2
, to assimilate his decision and move away from the media spotlight on him,
the first thing he did was take refuge with his family
. Later, his friend and rancher Álvaro Núñez received him at his farm in Portugal during the December long weekend. For a few days
he enjoyed the tranquility of the countryside and nature
, which he loves so much. As a memory of those days there is a photo that he uploaded to his Instagram on January 23: a sunset on a beach accompanied by Álvaro (on his left) and his wife (on his right), all three with their backs to the camera. Under the image, a thank you and an announcement: "Thank you for your love during this time. We are back."
your explanations
And yes it is back. The next day,
January 24
, she surprised on
Carlos Herrera's program
in an interview envied by multiple media. During a conversation of just over 20 minutes, the bullfighter wanted to settle the issue of the
non-wedding
to try to focus on the bullfighting season that is to come.
Juan Ortega went back to that first Saturday in December to give the long-awaited explanations. "The only truth about what happened is that in the end Carmen and I are two people who love each other very much, who had a very good relationship in many aspects, but that I
had been carrying a series of problems, doubts, that I was not able to to resolve
," he acknowledged. He also took the opportunity to ask for forgiveness, not for the decision not to get married, but for recanting an hour and a half earlier.
Calmly, in front of the microphone, he continued reflecting on the morning of the non-marriage. "For me, marriage, marrying a person, is serious enough to do it with doubts and I did not want to betray Carmen or myself... It
was not the result of an outburst nor was it the result of a hot temper
." It was, therefore, his decision, which was not conditioned by the priest who was going to marry them, nor by the bride's father, nor by the groom's friends, as was so often repeated in the press.
a special (non)wedding gift
The ex-future husband was in charge of returning all the wedding gifts, except one:
a Curro Romero cape
, given by the bullfighter himself, used in the bullring and with a dedication. As reported by
ABC
, there was no return due to the "express request" of the Pharaoh of Camas. Juan Ortega is a faithful admirer of his friend Curro. The two began to interact on that key afternoon in the Plaza de Linares in the middle of the pandemic.
Curro Romero also starred in a controversy in 2003 when he announced that his union with Carmen Tello was canceled with a brief statement: "For undetermined reasons
my announced wedding is cancelled
." Although later he did say "yes, I want," the camero teacher was probably the person who best understood Juan Ortega, and that is why he decided to leave him the cape as a sign of affection.
Carmen and I are two people who love each other very much, who had a very good relationship in many aspects, but I had a series of problems and doubts that I was not able to resolve.
The bullfighter says about the cancellation of his wedding.
Last year was key
in Juan Ortega's career, if not the best of his life. He participated in 30 afternoons and
22,000 people
saw him fight in Madrid alone . The merit of his triumphs last year has made him position himself very well on posters and the
non-wedding
has made more people know him. As he himself acknowledged to Carlos Herrera, this year he will reap the fruits sown the previous year, a magnificent year professionally that ended up being catastrophic personally. But he did not separate him from his priority: the bulls.
Upon returning from Portugal, he spent Christmas with his family in Seville. At the same time, he was already preparing to fight in a big way in 2024, focused on training. In his city he has practiced bullfighting. It has been his routine, his day to day life, led by his teacher
Pepe Luis Vargas
, the same one who once told him "if there is something that makes you happier than bullfighting, you are not good for this."
Vargas, a retired bullfighter, met Juan Ortega in 2016. It was he who promoted his career when he was in slow activity. Pepe Luis Vargas was oriented to be a bullfighting figure, but he was unlucky and did not achieve it. Now, Juan Ortega and the teacher have created a professional couple that is bearing fruit. They both help each other.
On
January 17,
he was expected to attend the presentation of bullfighting season posters at the
Valdemorillo Fair
, but the matador disappointed the media with his absence. The next day he was seen leaving the Seville City Hall, where he went to prepare the advertising campaign for the April Fair. On January 26 he once again disappointed the press by not attending the Valdemorillo awards ceremony, where he was awarded
Best Performance at the fair
. It was his friend Juan Francisco Gómez who picked him up on his behalf.
Last Tuesday, January 30, he traveled to Mexico accompanied by his attorney,
José María Garzón
, and his trusted banderillero,
Jorge Fuentes
. Before flying, at the airport a journalist approached him to consult him, more than about the bullfight, but about his ex-fiancée. However, while walking and staring straight ahead (metaphorically and literally), Juan Ortega limited himself to answering "good" and "thank you very much" when the reporter asked him how he was doing when greeting him, ignoring the questions about his personal life. he. When the journalist gave up on his mission and told him "we won't bother you anymore," the bullfighter responded "I appreciate it" and smiled.
We continue to have a lot of love, a lot of respect for each other and we both have a lot of peace.
Juan Ortega on Carmen Otte Alba.
The media specialized in bullfighting information in Mexico have also echoed the participation of the matador. He is known as
"one of the new figures of bullfighting on the other side of the Atlantic
. "
The news of his wedding has also arrived there: "Beyond the gossip magazines, which have focused on the personal life of the Sevillian bullfighter, fans both here and there see in him a bullfighter with possibilities of power." go very far," commented the Mexican bullfighter.
Upon arriving in the Latin American country, he continued his training for the comeback that took place on Saturday in the La Luz bullring in León de Los Aldama (Mexico). The Sevillian has alternated with Joselito Adame and Diego Silveti, dealing with a bull run at the De la Mora cattle ranch in Querata.
It was the Sevillian's second run in Mexico
. He has also bullfighted in Lurín (Peru) and Latacunga (Ecuador). On the European continent he has also been to Nimes (France), where he confirmed his alternative.
ITS BULLFIGHTING REAPEARANCE IN SPAIN
After warming up in Mexico, the bullfighter will soon return to Spain. His
next appointment with the bullfighting fans
is on Saturday, February 10 in Valdemorillo, where last year he established himself as the best. Thanks to his spectacular performance in 2023, which dazzled the public, the Sevillian will repeat in the La Candelaria bullring. On this occasion he will fight with Alejandro Talavante and Ginés Martín, and with the Cádiz bulls of Núñez del Cuvillo.
It is already a fact:
Ortega has returned to the ring, and without distractions
. In addition to his presentation in Mexico and the next one in Valdemorillo, there are already 14 confirmed dates. In February he will fight on the 13th in Ciudad Rodrigo, and on the 29th in Écija.
As he announced in his interview in Cope,
"the main dishes come in March"
with Olivenza (March 3), Castellón (March 9), Valencia (March 18), Almendralejo (March 23) and Arenas de San Pedro (March 24). Other afternoons already scheduled are those in Seville (April 15 and 20), Baeza (May 4) and in Las Ventas (Madrid) on May 23 and June 8.
The former couple has not seen each other again. "We continue to have a lot of love for each other, a lot of respect and we both have a lot of peace," he said in the only interview given so far this year. "
The most difficult thing is to make the bull your priority in life
, even more important than your family," Juan Ortega said last year. The Sevillian matador has already overcome that difficulty and there is nothing, and no one, that can distract him from a promising 2024 for his profession.