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Australian Josh Cavallo is the first current professional footballer to come out | Foreign football

Josh Cavallo made his outpouring on social media. “I feel ready to talk about something personal that I’m finally comfortable enough to talk about: I’m a footballer and I’m gay,” he said.

“All I want is to play football and be treated equally. The double life I’ve led so far has been very tiring. It took me a long time to be ready for this, but I’m very happy that I’ve come this far to tell this.”

Cavallo immediately received support from the Australian players’ union after his outing, which speaks of a “fantastic moment for Cavallo, the sport and the LGBTQ community”.

Adelaide United, the club of Cavallo, praises the midfielder. “This is not only an important day for Josh, but also a historic day for Australian football. Hopefully this will pave the way for more footballers to be affected,” it said.

Cavallo does not have the scoop of the first active professional football player to come out. In 2013, LA Galaxy’s American Robby Rogers was the first. In 2017, the then 30-year-old defender stopped playing football.

In the past, the German Thomas Hitzlsperger, among others, announced that he is gay, but the 52-time international had already stopped playing football at that time. He did so in 2014, 10 months after his last match as a pro.

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