Cool Spanish teenager is no bullfighting clone

MADRID, July 18 (Reuters) Miguel Angel Delgado has the face of a choirboy and the body of a child, but he moves in the bullring with a calm assurance that belies his 16 years.

''The boy has all the tools needed to be a major star in bullfighting,'' said Pepe Luis Vargas, director of the Ecija bullfighting school in Delgado's home town in southern Spain.

''He's got class and courage and his head is screwed on tight,'' said the retired matador who appeared in top bullrings in Madrid and Seville during a 15-year career and who started training Delgado when he joined the school aged eight.

More and more bullfighting schools are springing up in Spain, catering to boys and girls who dream of wearing the sequined ''suit of lights'' in the country's bullrings. There are 20 legally registered schools in southern Andalucia alone.

Some aficionados complain the bullfighting schools are good at teaching theory but only churn out little bullfighting clones, ill-prepared for the cut-and-thrust of the circuit.

Delgado looks like being the real thing and has plenty of appearances in front of real bulls under his belt. He plans to hone his skills over the next few months, and formally debut in the prestigious Real Maestranza bullring in Seville.

After one fight, veteran commentator Enrique Romero of Andalucian TV station CanalSur gushed superlatives.

''I think this is the best performance I've ever seen in a bullfight for young hopefuls,'' he said.

Enthusiasts particularly admire Delgado's maturity, the way he passes the charging bull with an impression of slow-motion elegance which shows he is in complete control.

RARE ABILITY Bullfighting veterans will tell you this is a rare gift and much prized. Vargas is sure Delgado is something special.

''Miguel Angel has got that calmness about him which is very important. But, of course, he'll need a bit of luck to make it.'' With all the acclaim, the object of the fuss might be expected to be rather full of himself, but Delgado is an excited young man, not in a hurry but keen to impress.

Words are not his medium -- he does his talking in front of an animal furious with pain and intent on doing him damage.

''I did pretty well,'' he said after a fight. ''But there's a long way to go.'' Delgado has several advantages -- a good teacher in Vargas, natural talent and a father in the business.

Pablo Delgado is an assistant bullfighter in the team of Sebastian Castella -- the French matador sensation who is taking Spain by storm with his ice-cool temperament and apparent disdain for his own safety.

''It's good having a father who knows how things are in the bullfighting world and he's shown me a lot, as has Pepe Luis since I started at the school,'' said Delgado.

The senior Delgado, who knows how hard it is to succeed in bullfighting, is obviously both proud and nervous about his son's prospects.

Asked what he thinks of the young man embarking on a career in the arena, he shakes his head and takes a big breath.

''It's very difficult,'' he said as he waited to perform in the northern city of Leon recently.

MILLIONS AT STAKE If his son succeeds and rises to the top of the pile, he could charge as much as 100,000 euros (125,400 dollars) for each appearance in the biggest bullrings. Megastar ''El Juli'' is said to have turned down 150,000 euros for an appearance in Seville.

The cachet enjoyed by bullfighters in Spanish society endures despite a vocal anti-bullfighting camp which is certainly more militant today than it was 10 years ago.

Despite more discussion than ever about its place in modern society -- bullfights were nearly banned in the northern city of Barcelona by the Catalan parliament -- the number of bullfights in the first six months of 2006 was 4.2 per cent higher than last year, according to data supplied by Web site www.mundotoro.com.

Delgado's next major hurdle will be his debut in a fight with picadors, or horsemen, and with bulls that are older, heavier and more powerful three-year-olds. This is expected in September.

Vargas, the matador turned teacher, is upbeat.

''I've seen hundreds of kids come through the school. This boy is the best. No doubt about it.'' REUTERS SB BST0913