Álvaro Núñez, on RTVE: "All this attention to the bull runs is wonderful, but I demand the same for bullfights, because the only purpose of a bull is to fight."

This Wednesday, Álvaro Núñez makes his debut in Pamplona . And he'll do so with an exceptional lineup: Morante, Roca Rey, and Tomás Rufo. An extraordinary lineup, according to the great breeder , who was invited to La 1 this morning after the running of the bulls to comment on the performance of his bulls during the run. And, pending what happens in the ring, the first major entrance should go to him.

After emotionally recounting how he'd been coming to San Fermín for thirty years with his father, and that today, finally, he was fighting alone, he raised his voice to assert that the important thing isn't the running of the bulls, which he compared to a soccer player's training; the match, the essential thing, is what happens afterward: "We raise the bulls for the afternoon," he emphasized. "The running of the bulls is a beautiful tradition; it highlights the fear a bull instills, because everyone is scared, and that's what makes the bull such a different animal, because of the respect it commands," he explained, emphasizing—never better said—the merit of the bullfighters: "Five hundred guys running from a bull, and suddenly one comes, stays still, and passes close by."

"For us, as ranchers, the essential thing is bullfighting. Because the bullfighter dominates the bull, he doesn't run from it, he stays still and creates art, and that is the essence of bullfighting," he said, after praising those who participate in the running of the bulls, who of course have great merit, because neither Álvaro—nor many others—would run in front of the Pamplona bulls. But, as Núñez said, they run. They don't stay still to stop, pace, and command, as the classic rules dictate. Without forgetting to charge the suerte, as Domingo Ortega always said.

He took advantage of the cameras to send the exact message: "I think all this attention to the bull runs is wonderful, but we need the same for bullfighting. I demand more attention for bullfighting throughout the year. Morante's season is legendary. It's the best season of his life, for perhaps the best bullfighter in history. And Roca Rey is a bullfighter who transcends boundaries, brave, and who attracts a lot of young people. And they go unnoticed on television; they're not talked about throughout the year."

And he emphasized again that bulls are raised to be fought, not to be run in the morning: "The only purpose of a bull's existence is to be fought, because bravery is something that is bred for the afternoon bullfight. The greatness of the bull is that all animals, when they are subdued, flee, and the bull, when subdued, attacks and dies with dignity in the ring." The other day on Basque public television, it was reported that the Fuente Ymbro bulls were going to be "killed," something that, as is only natural, outraged Núñez: "It's unacceptable to say that, because the people are killed. To kill a bull, you have to stand in front of the two horns, grab the sword, and go all the way. That is being willing to give your life." The opposite of running in front of it, which ETB was broadcasting.

He was also asked about the selection and breeding of the bull, and explained that a larger bull is brought to Pamplona, ​​usually selecting twelve to avoid any accidents that may occur. "No profession pays you enough to die there doing your art," he emphasized again, emphasizing the work of the matadors, because "bullfighters are the ultimate heroes," and they manage to "subdue a bull, dominate it, and create art," generating a spontaneous "olé" from "twelve thousand guys who don't know a thing, but they come together. That's marvelous." At that moment, the ranchers give their lives for this animal, the most beautiful in the world, and the bullfighters are willing to give their all. Hopefully, Álvaro Núñez's explanation will help those who watch the bull runs and forget what happens in the ring remember that the latter is the most important thing, while the former is just that: "training."