Julián López Escobar

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Julián López Escobar (born October 3, 1982 in San Blas, Madrid, Spain) commonly known as El Juli, is a Spanish matador.

[edit] Biography

After he caped his first bull at the young age of nine, Julián's wealthy family enrolled him in the Madrid Academy of Tauromachy. After years of studying, he moved to Mexico to perform in corridas (bullfights), as Spain required novilleros (junior matador) to be of at least 16 years of age.

On March 16, 1997, at the age of 14, Julián made his bullfighting debut in Texcoco, Mexico. He finished with a standing ovation and received two ears. In bullfighting, the detached ears of the dead bull(s) are trophies, which are awarded for an above average corrida.

Approximately one year later, on September 18, 1998, Julián received his alternativa in Nîmes, France. This marked the passage from being a novillero to a full-fledged matador de toros (senior matador). At age 15, he was the youngest professional matador in the history of the sport. Julián led a toast to his father, a former novillero forced into retirement after losing his right eye in a corrida.

By the age of 17, Julián had grown to become the highest-paid matador in history. Not only did his good looks and affluent background popularize him, but his skills in the ring were unmatched. Julián places his own banderillas, which is typically the job of the banderillero. Only highly talented matadors can do this, as it is very difficult, and requires an equal amount of training as you need to become a matador. Additionally, in three out of his 134 performances in 1999, he was the lone matador. This meant killing all six bulls during the corrida, rather than the usual two bulls a matador fights during a corrida. Doing this feat requires great skill and stamina, which further enhances his sparkling reputation.

[edit] Lawsuit

Juilan filed a lawsuit against Coloumbian singer Shakira, because she used footage of some of his battles without his permission in her music video.

Persondata
NAME	Julián López Escobar
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	El Juli
SHORT DESCRIPTION	Spanish matador (bullfighter)
DATE OF BIRTH	3 October 1982
PLACE OF BIRTH	San Blas, Madrid, Spain
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH