In 2016 a judge declared that Manuel Díaz ‘El Cordobés’ is legally the son of Manuel Benítez ‘El Cordobés’. Seven years later, both have a meeting pending that is going to take place very soon because both have approached positions. This has been confirmed by the fifth Caliph of Bullfighting during an interview with the Diary of Cordoba. “We are ready, we are close. There has been an approach and right now it will come to light. Normal, because look, between parents and children, between mothers and children, things happen, but we are going to forgive this and we are going to give each other a hug. We are human and they are things that happen,” he assured.
The right-hander, who cut his ponytail 56 years ago but continues to fight on the field as a hobby, has praised the professional career of Díaz, whom he affectionately calls Manolo. He says of him that he has a lot of race because he has continued to put himself in front of the bull with two injured hips (he underwent surgery in 2018 on both joints). This 2023 will produce the last opportunities that he has to see his son active since, After celebrating the 30th anniversary of his alternative, withdraws. In this way, he will close a cycle of his life and say goodbye to the profession “that has made me who I am” as he announced last November.
A few months ago it was Díaz himself, a former contestant on MasterChef Celebritythe one who spoke regarding the step forward with his father that he has been wanting for so long. “There has been a very important rapprochement“, he said, adding that he avoids accelerating time so that nothing goes wrong. He thus confirmed that life is giving them a “very beautiful opportunity” that he does not intend to miss. In this process whose happy ending is closer than ever, he has the full support of his wife, Virginia Troconis, and his three children, Alba, Manuel and Triana, who are very happy to see him happy.
At the age of 86, he will begin a new personal stage for the myth of bullfighting by opening the doors of his life to his son, who is named following him and is 56 years old. This is an important change that comes at a time of peace and harmony. At the moment, Benítez defines himself as a happy man who shares his day to day with his his partner, Mª Ángelesand is focused on livestock and the field. It remains out of the media spotlight and the great popularity it achieved in the 1960s and 1970s, when it became an international phenomenon.
Linked to Julio Benitez
Manuel Díaz already has a close relationship with a member of the Benítez family, his paternal family. He has a great connection with Julio Benítezwith whom he shares a profession and with whom he has shared the bill several times since 2017. That was a turning point and little by little they began to get to know each other better. “We have normalized a situation that is real,” said ‘El Cordobés’, whom we have seen with his brother in summer, Christmas…, from father’s side has five other siblings more (María Isabel, Manuel María, Rafael, Martina and Mª Ángeles), while on her mother’s side she has one named Chema.