Bullfighter makes comeback after horrific goring

When Juan Jose Padilla, one of Spain's top matadors, was gored through the eye last October, many wondered if he would ever see again, let alone return to bullfighting.

Five months later, Padilla may have lost vision in his left eye, but the matador has not lost his passion for the sport. He will return to the ring in the western town of Olivenza on Sunday.

"Sunday will feel like a dream come true, after some very hard months, and I'm fully aware that nobody thought I would be back now," Padilla told the New York Times.

The gruesome incident that derailed his career unfolded last October 7 at the Fiestas del Pilar in Zaragoza, Spain. Padilla slipped and while momentarily prone on the ground, the bull gored him through his jaw, with the horn emerging from Padilla's left eye socket. The Times reports that after a series of reconstructive facial surgeries with titanium plates and mesh, Padilla is still unable to chew food.

Despite losing his left eye, the 38-year-old Padilla vowed to return to the sport and practiced by killing as many as 10 bulls on private farms, the newspaper reports.

The matador said his remarkable comeback has the blessing of his wife and children but not everyone in his family.

"My parents couldn't understand why I would want to return," he said.