Andrés Roca Rey, the 29-year-old Peruvian bullfighter nicknamed the "Messi of matadors", was tossed around by a bull after becoming trapped between its horns during a fight in Arles, southern France. Footage shows the animal, named Vicioso, ramming him from behind and catapulting him onto its head, where he remained lodged behind one horn before around ten arena workers managed to halt the bull and free him. The incident has drawn attention both for its violence and for Roca Rey's remarkable decision to return and continue the fight afterwards, underlining the intense risks matadors face and reigniting debate around the safety of the sport.

Video shows Roca Rey being flailed helplessly before he was eventually helped to his feet with blood visibly staining his back, after which the bull was struck with a single banderilla, a barbed dart used in bullfighting. The incident came just months after he was hospitalised in April with a deep leg gash after being gored at the Maestranza bullring in Seville, and follows a string of earlier near-misses, including being tossed and flipped in October 2024 and suffering five goring injuries across his first five fights early in his career. Brought to Spain aged 13 to pursue bullfighting and now a Spanish citizen, Roca Rey is regarded as one of the sport's biggest stars.