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“You don't belong on this earth” ... “What are you doing here?” ... “Stop breathing.”

After announcing his homosexuality in 2021, footballer Josh Cavallo has received daily death threats and hateful comments on online platforms.

“Upon reading those comments, it broke my heart,” Cavallo states. “Nobody should have to endure such words.

“I'm working to improve my skills and be the best I can be on the pitch, and then get put down because of who I am. It's appalling.”

Midfielder the sportsman was playing for Adelaide United four years ago when he emerged as the sole publicly out top-flight male professional footballer in the world.

This summer he departed from Australia to join lower-tier club Peterborough Sports, who play in front of crowds of about 400 in the sixth division, the sixth tier of English football.

The 25-year-old combines playing for the Cambridgeshire part-timers by advocating for inclusion matters and using his profile - boasting over a million followers on social media - to champion equality and acceptance.

“Absolutely, there's enormous work ahead,” the footballer says when asked if football still has a problem with discrimination.

“I don't go more than a week without encountering problems.”

‘People want to harm me’

It took years for the athlete to work up the courage to say “I'm gay” before revealing his sexuality on 27 October 2021.

“All I want to do is compete in soccer and receive fair treatment,” he stated in an accompanying video.

Cavallo was 21 and making a name for himself at Adelaide United in Australia's top flight when, with the support of his team-mates, he announced his orientation publicly.

“I didn't know what was ahead. I had no expectations,” he recalls. “It felt like the right time in my life. I wanted to take the next step.”

The heartfelt revelation clip, entitled ‘His Personal Story’, gained massive attention on digital platforms.

“My mobile phone exploded with encouraging words. The response was incredible.”

Liverpool were among numerous famous teams around the world to show solidarity with Cavallo, with the coach at the time Jurgen Klopp saying: “I appreciate that he did it because it sparks conversation.”

Spanish player the athlete also expressed backing, posting online that “the world of football is lagging behind and you are helping us move forward”, while Adelaide United released a comment supporting their “remarkable” and “courageous” player.

Others, however, were less welcoming.

The footballer soon turned into a target of anti-gay remarks by rival supporters.

During early 2022 Melbourne Victory were fined five thousand dollars over anti-gay abuse from spectators aimed toward the player during a game.

“The comments I encountered were painful and derogatory towards LGBTQ people,” he says.

“I didn't react because responding would encourage detractors.”

There was a frightening incident at a gas station in Australia, where the athlete was physically attacked by an individual who identified him from the coverage.

“That was a scary moment,” he remembers. “The thought crossed my mind ‘this is happening - individuals intend to hurt me’.

“Is it acceptable? Definitely not. But by coming out, these are the consequences.

“I hope that future individuals who comes out while playing football at a professional standard won't face the journey I have experienced.”

Cavallo says the daily death threats and hostile communications have taken a toll on his psychological well-being.

“It's quite sad because I am having to explain why I belong on the football field for being who I am,” he states.

“Heterosexual players aren't questioned and ask ‘what gives you the right in football?’.

“A lot of people see me as a smiling, optimistic person. But there are days when I lean on my fiance, his name, and he witnesses much of what occurs behind the scenes.”

‘Premier League player coming out would move mountains’

The player's choice to reveal his sexuality helped prompt teenage Blackpool forward Jake Daniels to announce he was gay as the Britain's sole publicly out playing soccer professional in spring 2022.

However, there are zero publicly LGBTQ athletes in the top English division.

“It would move mountains,” comments the footballer on the effect a elite athlete revealing their orientation would make.

“But I'm not going to sugar-coat it. Numerous frightening aspects that would come this person's way. In the world of football, identifying as LGBTQ is a highly hostile environment.”

Twenty-seven years after a pioneering player - the UK's initial out soccer professional - took his own life in 1998, the current athlete has discussed the “toxic masculinity” that still exists in professional soccer.

“Simply attend to a match and see the unfriendly atmosphere and masculinity that the crowd brings,” he says.

“Much remains to be done to make sure there is a safe space in soccer for individuals like me and his colleague.

“Progress has been limited (more players coming out) as much as we would like.

“My role is to continue advocating for what I think is right, and strive for taking out the toxic masculinity in soccer locker rooms and establishing secure environments.”

‘I'm here to create change’

Cavallo says football has allowed him to have conversations within team environments about revealing one's orientation.

However, he is critical of Fifa, after the Middle Eastern nation, where same-sex relationships are illegal, hosted the men's World Cup in 2022.

Future World Cup will be held in another Gulf state, where same-sex attraction is similarly prohibited.

“Do I approve that the World Cup is in nations that ban gay unions, where individuals like myself will be put in prison for merely living on that land? It's frightening,” says Cavallo.

“I get messages [from residents of such nations] saying ‘I face imprisonment for being who I am - can you help me?’.

“It breaks my heart that people are getting locked up for being who they are.

“Certain nations that are huge in terms of football and they reject the queer community. Those are the countries that tend to target me.”

Nevertheless, Cavallo says he will not stop speaking up.

“Football has allowed me to start conversations in the changing room. It has allowed me to speak and educate people who want to learn more.

“Not everyone is going to like you for your identity. But I have found my family. I have found my community.

“My purpose is to drive progress. That's my objective.”