A ‘shhh!’ ripples through the crowd as the boy wonder comes to a halt and raises his sword to eye level.
His rhinestone-encrusted costume shimmers under the Spanish sun as he points the blade towards the exhausted bull standing just a few yards away.
For the thousands of bloodthirsty fans who have packed out this bullring in Andalucia, the birthplace of modern bullifghting, this is the moment they’ve been waiting for.
You can almost hear a pin drop before finally, after taunting his prey for over 15 minutes, the baby-faced teen lets out a roar and charges forward, stabbing the panicked animal square between the shoulders, aiming for his heart.
The spectators gasp and erupt in cheers before waving their white handkerchiefs in approval of his ‘kill shot’ (escotada), in scenes that wouldn’t look out of place at Rome's ancient Colosseum.
