IT was a shocking moment when a one-eyed matador was gored by the horn of a bull and stamped on by the huge beast in Spain.

    Juan Jose Padilla, branded “The Pirate” because of the eyepatch he wears, was lucky to survive after the clash during the El Pilar Feria at the La Misericordia bullring in Zaragoza on Saturday.

    The 43-year-old, who fell to the floor after being charged at by the 100-stone (635-kg) animal, held the left side of his face in agony as worried officials rushed to help him.

    He lost an eye five years ago, and was lucky to escape serious injury in May when he was picked up and flung by a bull in Madrid.

    In his latest horrifying clash, he appeared to be falling as the bull’s horns made contact, and the massive animal landed its front foot on his stomach as the matador fell underneath him.

    He was rushed to hospital after taking a blow close to his eyepatch.

    Padilla, who was known as the Cyclone of Jerez before he lost his eye, was injured in Zaragoza when a bull’s horn pierced his jaw and came out through his eye. He underwent a life-saving five-hour operation to repair severe damage to his eye, bone, muscle and skin — his face reconstructed with titanium plates and mesh.

    Ten years earlier he had suffered serious back injuries, but returned to the bullring, gaining a reputation for taking on the most fearsome bulls.(SD-Agencies)