Javier Funtanet

Javier Funtanet belongs to the youngest generation of a family that has been linked to bulls and horses in Mexico for decades. A rejoneador shaped by his family background and known for his commitment in the ring, in 2026 he took the step that defines a career: becoming a fully fledged mounted matador in a Spanish bullring.

Born in Mexico City on 28 December 2003, he grew up in an environment shaped by horses and fighting-bull breeding. His grandfather was a fighting-bull breeder, his father and uncle were rejoneadores, and his brother José also fights on horseback. That family setting was his first school of horsemanship and bullfighting.

After several years performing in his home country, he began his first European campaign in June 2026. In barely three months, he was carried out on the shoulders of the crowd on his Spanish debut, won the International Promesas del Rejoneo competition and took his alternativa at El Bibio bullring in Gijón, sponsored by Diego Ventura.

Today, with a growing team of horses and the goal of confirming his alternativa in Madrid, Funtanet faces a stage in which he must establish himself on both sides of the Atlantic.

Javier Funtanet – Biographical Profile

• Bullfighting family: Grandson of bull breeder Eduardo Funtanet Martí, son of rejoneador Francisco Funtanet and brother of fellow rejoneador José Funtanet.

• Public debut: 9 December 2018, in Cuajimalpa, Mexico City.

• Debut at the Plaza México: 30 January 2022, at the first novillada of the Anniversary Fair.

• European debut: 5 June 2026, in Paio Pires, Portugal.

• Spanish debut: 20 June 2026, in Medina de Rioseco, Valladolid.

• Alternativa: 14 August 2026, at El Bibio bullring, Gijón. Sponsor: Diego Ventura. Witness: Duarte Fernandes. Bulls from Los Espartales.

• Current professional status: Rejoneador (mounted matador de toros).

• Notable achievements:

   Winner of the 5th International Promesas del Rejoneo competition (2026); carried out on the shoulders of the crowd on his Spanish debut; two ears at the San Francisco Fair in Pachuca (2025).

Javier Funtanet's Biography: From the Funtanet Dynasty to His Alternativa in Gijón

A Family Devoted to Bulls and Horses

To understand Javier Funtanet's career, it is necessary to look at his family. His grandfather, Eduardo Funtanet Martí, founded a fighting-bull ranch in 1973, whose bulls were eventually fought at the Plaza México. His father, Francisco Funtanet, began riding in front of cattle when he was still a child and went on to build a career as a rejoneador in Mexico and abroad.

His uncle, Eduardo Funtanet, was also a rejoneador who took his alternativa. With this legacy, Javier is the youngest member of a family for whom mounted bullfighting is a way of life, and he shares the profession with his brother José.

This heritage does not make his path any easier; rather, it adds pressure. The family name may open doors, but it also requires him to prove in every performance that he has earned his place on his own merits.

Early Steps: From Cuajimalpa to the Plaza México

On 9 December 2018, at the age of 14, Javier Funtanet made his first public appearance in Cuajimalpa, Mexico City, sharing the bill with Fauro Aloi on horseback and Bruno Aloi on foot.

The 2020 pandemic brought bullfighting to a halt, but not his preparation. During those months, he continued training intensively so that he would be ready to return to the ring as soon as possible.

On 30 January 2022, he reached a significant milestone: the first novillada of the Anniversary Fair at the Plaza México. Javier performed alongside his brother José in an event highlighted by the Mexican press as the first time two rejoneador brothers had appeared together in that ring. Javier emerged as the most successful bullfighter of the afternoon, cutting the only ear awarded, from a San Constantino novillo named Optimista.

Pachuca 2025 – A Two-Ear Afternoon After Overcoming Injury

Before the 2025 San Francisco Fair, Funtanet underwent shoulder surgery to treat an injury caused by years of wear and tear and a recent training accident. He spent several months on physiotherapy and rest before returning to the ring.

In October 2025, he appeared at the second corrida of the fair, held at the Vicente Segura Monumental Bullring in Pachuca, alongside Héctor Gutiérrez and Arturo Gilio. He brought a team of ten horses and cut two ears from the bull Wingston, a performance described by the local press as the most convincing he had ever given in that bullring.

2026 – The Leap to Europe: Paio Pires and Medina de Rioseco

On 5 June 2026, Javier Funtanet opened his European season in Paio Pires, Portugal, where he completed a lap of honour. For that campaign, he brought six horses from Mexico, which were joined by two horses lent to him by Diego Ventura.

A few days later, on 20 June, he made his Spanish debut in Medina de Rioseco, Valladolid. It was a charity event marking the return of mounted bullfighting to the town, with bulls from Paulo Caetano and a bill completed by João Moura Caetano and Lea Vicens. Funtanet cut two ears and was carried out on the shoulders of the crowd alongside the French rejoneadora.

Promesas del Rejoneo – Winner in San Lorenzo de la Parrilla and Riópar

On 4 July 2026, he took part in the 5th International Promesas del Rejoneo competition in San Lorenzo de la Parrilla, Cuenca. Facing bulls from José Luis Pascual, alongside Luis Pimenta and Ángel Gómez, he cut one ear from his first bull and two from his second. With a total of three ears, he was declared the winner of the afternoon and qualified for the final.

The final was held on 28 August in Riópar, Albacete, with bulls from El Madroñal. There, he competed against Martín Ruiz and Pedro Velasco. Funtanet once again cut three ears, two from his first bull and one from his second, and was crowned winner of the competition.

Javier Funtanet in Gijón – An Alternativa Sponsored by Diego Ventura

On 14 August 2026, Javier Funtanet took his alternativa at El Bibio bullring during the second event of the Begoña Fair. The specialist press described the ceremony as the first alternativa taken in Spain by a Mexican rejoneador.

Diego Ventura, the leading rejoneador whom Funtanet regards as his greatest role model, acted as his sponsor, with Portuguese rejoneador Duarte Fernandes as witness. The bulls came from Los Espartales, of Murube-Urquijo lineage.

The newly promoted mounted matador completed a lap of honour after killing the bull of the ceremony, following a request for an ear that was not granted. With the sixth, the bull with the most spirit of the afternoon, he stood out with the short banderillas and the violin manoeuvre, but two failed attempts with the rejón de muerte limited him to another lap of honour.

Although he did not win any trophies, the afternoon in Gijón marked the start of his career as a mounted matador de toros and remains the most important date of his career so far.

An Intense Summer and a Return to Mexico

After his alternativa, his August schedule included bullrings such as Calatayud, Ceclavín, Peñafiel, Santa Eulalia del Campo, Piedrahíta and Cazaubon, France. In September, he added appearances in Utrillas, San Esteban de Gormaz, Ponte de Lima (Portugal), Brazatortas and El Barraco.

His first European season ended with 16 performances in Spain, France and Portugal and a total of 29 ears, placing him among the top twenty in the rejoneadores' rankings.

Back in Mexico, he began a new professional chapter after ending, by mutual agreement, his management relationship with Othón Ortega. His Mexican season opens on 23 October 2026 in San Miguel de Allende, on a bill shared with Juan Ortega and Isaac Fonseca.

Javier Funtanet's Passion for Bullfighting

Mounted Bullfighting as a School of Life

Javier Funtanet has explained in interviews that bullfighting on horseback is his true passion. His parents supported him from the outset, on one condition: that he approach it with the seriousness of a professional.

For him, bullfighting is a reflection of life itself, with moments of light and shadow, unavoidable risks and enormous rewards. He sees it as a school that teaches him to face difficulties calmly and to remain fully committed to the audience every time he enters the ring.

His ambition is clear: he aims to reach the very top of mounted bullfighting, and one of his next goals is to confirm his alternativa at Las Ventas when the time is right.

Diego Ventura – Role Model and Mentor

Since childhood, Funtanet has followed Diego Ventura's career with admiration. In 2026, that admiration turned into a daily working relationship: the Mexican rejoneador trained alongside the maestro during his European season, a connection made possible by matador Enrique Fraga and Mario Figueiredo, a former banderillero of Ventura's.

One of the key lessons of that period was adapting to the Spanish bull, whose behaviour and way of charging differ from those of the Mexican bull. Funtanet has acknowledged that he worked specifically on adjusting distances, timing and horses to this new reality.

His Team of Horses

In mounted bullfighting, the horses are as important as the rider. During his 2026 European season, Funtanet used Generoso and the mare La Campina in the opening stage; Sueño, Fabuloso, Romero and Gitano for the banderillas; and Detalle in the final stage.

Interesting Facts About Javier Funtanet

• He is the youngest member of a dynasty that has combined fighting-bull breeding and mounted bullfighting for three generations.

• In 2022, he and his brother José became the first pair of rejoneador brothers to perform together at the Plaza México.

• During his first European season, he dedicated one of his bulls to Diego Ventura and his family.

• His alternativa in Gijón was described as the first taken by a Mexican rejoneador in a Spanish bullring.

Javier Funtanet's Main Achievements and Performances

Javier Funtanet's career combines the continuity of a family dynasty with his own progress, which gathered remarkable momentum in 2026.

His most notable achievements include:

• Plaza México, January 2022: Cut the only ear awarded at the first novillada of the Anniversary Fair.

• Pachuca, October 2025: Cut two ears from the bull Wingston at the San Francisco Fair.

• Medina de Rioseco, June 2026: Cut two ears and was carried out on the shoulders of the crowd on his Spanish debut.

• San Lorenzo de la Parrilla, July 2026: Cut three ears and won his qualifying round of the Promesas del Rejoneo competition.

• Gijón, August 2026: Took his alternativa, sponsored by Diego Ventura, completing two laps of honour.

• Riópar, August 2026: Cut three ears and won the 5th International Promesas del Rejoneo competition.

• 2026 European season: 16 performances and 29 ears in Spain, France and Portugal.

These results reflect a young career that already rests on a solid foundation of success on two continents.

His next challenge will be to establish himself as a mounted matador de toros, strengthen his team of horses and earn a place at the major Spanish and Mexican fairs.