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“You shouldn't exist” ... “Why are you here?” ... “Don't take another breath.”

After announcing he was gay in 2021, player Josh Cavallo has received daily death threats and hateful comments on social media.

“When I first saw these messages, it broke my heart,” the player explains. “No-one wants to read things like that.

“I'm trying to get better as a player and be the best I can be during matches, and then get put down due to my identity. It's appalling.”

Midfielder Cavallo was playing for Adelaide United back in 2020 when he emerged as the sole publicly out top-flight male professional footballer in the world.

This summer he left Australia to sign with non-league Peterborough Sports, who play in front of crowds of about 400 in the sixth division, one level below of the English soccer system.

The 25-year-old combines playing for the semi-professional team by speaking up on LGBTQ+ issues and leveraging his platform - boasting over a million followers on Instagram - to champion equality and acceptance.

“Definitely, there's enormous work ahead,” Cavallo says when questioned about ongoing issues with discrimination.

“Rarely a week passes without hearing about an issue.”

‘People want to harm me’

Several years passed for the athlete to work up the courage to say “I'm gay” before coming out on 27 October 2021.

“All I want to do is compete in soccer and receive fair treatment,” he said in an related clip.

The player was twenty-one and making a name for himself at Adelaide United in the premier division when, backed by his colleagues, 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.”

His emotional coming out video, titled ‘His Personal Story’, went viral on digital platforms.

“My phone was flooded with encouraging words. It was overwhelming.”

Liverpool were one of many high-profile clubs around the world to express support for Cavallo, with then manager Jurgen Klopp saying: “I appreciate that he took this step because it sparks conversation.”

Barcelona defender the athlete also expressed backing, writing on social media that “the world of football is lagging behind and your actions drive progress”, while his former club released a comment backing their “remarkable” and “brave” player.

Others, however, were not so accepting.

The footballer soon turned into a target of homophobic abuse by opposition fans.

In January 2022 a competing team were fined five thousand dollars over anti-gay abuse from fans directed at Cavallo during a game.

“The things I'd hear were hurtful and disparaging towards my community,” he says.

“I didn't react because I knew that would only feed the haters.”

There was a frightening incident at a petrol station in Australia, where Cavallo was assaulted by an individual who identified him from the coverage.

“That was a scary moment,” he remembers. “I remember thinking ‘this is happening - individuals intend to hurt me’.

“Should this be tolerated? Definitely not. But by coming out, this is what it brings.

“I hope that future individuals who comes out while competing in soccer at a professional standard won't face the path I have endured.”

The player says the daily death threats and abusive messages have taken a toll on his psychological well-being.

“It's disappointing because I must justify why I deserve a place on the football field for being who I am,” he says.

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

“Many individuals see me as a smiling, optimistic person. But sometimes when I lean on my fiance, his name, and he witnesses a lot that happens privately.”

‘Premier League player coming out would move mountains’

Cavallo's decision to reveal his sexuality helped inspire teenage Blackpool forward Jake Daniels to announce he was gay as the UK's only openly gay playing soccer professional in May 2022.

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

“It would create massive change,” says the footballer on the effect a elite athlete revealing their orientation would have.

“But I must be honest. There are a lot of scary things that would await this individual. Within soccer culture, being an openly gay player is a very toxic place.”

Twenty-seven years after Justin Fashanu - the UK's initial out soccer professional - took his own life in 1998, Cavallo has spoken about the “harmful male culture” that persists in men's football.

“You just need to go to a match and see the unfriendly atmosphere and male-dominated culture that the crowd brings,” he explains.

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

“Progress has been limited (more players coming out) as frequently as desired.

“I can only keep pushing for what I think is right, and strive for taking out the harmful male norms in football changing rooms and establishing secure environments.”

‘My mission is to drive progress’

The player says football has enabled discussions within team environments about revealing one's orientation.

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

The 2034 tournament is scheduled in another Gulf state, where homosexuality is similarly prohibited.

“Am I impressed that the global championship is in countries that ban gay unions, where people like me will be imprisoned for merely living on their territory? It's scary,” says Cavallo.

“I get messages [from residents of such nations] saying ‘I face imprisonment for my identity - is assistance possible?’.

“It breaks my heart that individuals are incarcerated for their true selves.

“Certain nations that are huge in terms of football and they reject the queer community. Those are the countries that often focus on me.”

Nevertheless, the footballer says he will not stop speaking up.

“Football has enabled dialogue in the changing room. It lets me communicate and inform individuals who seek understanding.

“Not everyone is going to like you for who you are. But I've discovered support. I have found my community.

“My mission is to create change. That's my objective.”