José Miguel Arroyo Delgado
Encyclopedia
José Miguel Arroyo Delgado (born May 1, 1969 in Madrid
) is a bullfighter from Spain
. He is better known in bullfighting circles as Joselito, a nickname he shares with at least two other notables: José Gomez, the Josélito bullfighter of the 1910s, and Josélito, a teen idol singer from the 1960s.
as well as in his native country. In Mexico, he was awarded a bull's tail, the top award given to a "torero" there.
Arroyo Delgado himself admits to being one of the most battered bullfighters of his generation. In 1989 he sustained his worst injury, when he was hit by a bull
and required hospital
ization. In 1996 he came close to another serious injury, when he faced a bull in France
: he was not fighting well that day and he was close to losing to a bull. He won the encounter, but thought seriously about retiring. Arroyo Delgado has been a controversial bullfighter in Spain: he is known for his dislike of uniforms, whether military
or torero, although he does use his torero uniform. He was also both widely criticized and praised by the Spanish public for refusing to dedicate a bull to King Juan Carlos de Bourbon
, dedicating it instead to his friend, "El Bote", a fellow bullfighter who had just been hospitalized after an encounter with a bull.
Arroyo Delgado is equally controversial in Spain for his religious
views: although he claims to be a Catholic
, he has also declared that, had he been born in another country, his God
would have been either Allah
or Buddha
. Arroyo Delgado never prays before his fights, although this is a tradition for bullfighters in Spain, a country that has an overwhelming Catholic majority.
Arroyo Delgado is the owner of a cattle ranch. He is the adoptive son of Enrique Martin Arranz and his wife Adela. Arroyo Delgado's natural father died in 1981.
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
) is a bullfighter from Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. He is better known in bullfighting circles as Joselito, a nickname he shares with at least two other notables: José Gomez, the Josélito bullfighter of the 1910s, and Josélito, a teen idol singer from the 1960s.
Biography
Arroyo Delgado was born in Madrid. He grew up in a poor family, dreaming about fame and wealth as a bullfighter. He became a professional bullfighter in Seville at the early age of sixteen. He went on to triumph in MexicoMexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
as well as in his native country. In Mexico, he was awarded a bull's tail, the top award given to a "torero" there.
Arroyo Delgado himself admits to being one of the most battered bullfighters of his generation. In 1989 he sustained his worst injury, when he was hit by a bull
Bull
Bull usually refers to an uncastrated adult male bovine.Bull may also refer to:-Entertainment:* Bull , an original show on the TNT Network* "Bull" , an episode of television series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation...
and required hospital
Hospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....
ization. In 1996 he came close to another serious injury, when he faced a bull in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
: he was not fighting well that day and he was close to losing to a bull. He won the encounter, but thought seriously about retiring. Arroyo Delgado has been a controversial bullfighter in Spain: he is known for his dislike of uniforms, whether military
Military
A military is an organization authorized by its greater society to use lethal force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or perceived threats. The military may have additional functions of use to its greater society, such as advancing a political agenda e.g...
or torero, although he does use his torero uniform. He was also both widely criticized and praised by the Spanish public for refusing to dedicate a bull to King Juan Carlos de Bourbon
Juan Carlos I of Spain
Juan Carlos I |Italy]]) is the reigning King of Spain.On 22 November 1975, two days after the death of General Francisco Franco, Juan Carlos was designated king according to the law of succession promulgated by Franco. Spain had no monarch for 38 years in 1969 when Franco named Juan Carlos as the...
, dedicating it instead to his friend, "El Bote", a fellow bullfighter who had just been hospitalized after an encounter with a bull.
Arroyo Delgado is equally controversial in Spain for his religious
Religion
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
views: although he claims to be a Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
, he has also declared that, had he been born in another country, his God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
would have been either Allah
Allah
Allah is a word for God used in the context of Islam. In Arabic, the word means simply "God". It is used primarily by Muslims and Bahá'ís, and often, albeit not exclusively, used by Arabic-speaking Eastern Catholic Christians, Maltese Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox Christians, Mizrahi Jews and...
or Buddha
Gautama Buddha
Siddhārtha Gautama was a spiritual teacher from the Indian subcontinent, on whose teachings Buddhism was founded. In most Buddhist traditions, he is regarded as the Supreme Buddha Siddhārtha Gautama (Sanskrit: सिद्धार्थ गौतम; Pali: Siddhattha Gotama) was a spiritual teacher from the Indian...
. Arroyo Delgado never prays before his fights, although this is a tradition for bullfighters in Spain, a country that has an overwhelming Catholic majority.
Arroyo Delgado is the owner of a cattle ranch. He is the adoptive son of Enrique Martin Arranz and his wife Adela. Arroyo Delgado's natural father died in 1981.
External links
- El País articles on Joselito