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

Since revealing he was gay in 2021, footballer Josh Cavallo has received daily death threats and abusive messages on online platforms.

“Upon reading those comments, it broke my heart,” the player explains. “No-one wants to read things like that.

“I'm working to improve my skills and reach my full potential during matches, and then face criticism due to my identity. It's disgusting.”

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

Recently he left Australia to sign with lower-tier club 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 balances his sports career for the Cambridgeshire part-timers by advocating for inclusion matters and leveraging his platform - boasting over a million followers on Instagram - to champion equality and acceptance.

“Definitely, we've got mountains to do,” Cavallo says when questioned about ongoing issues with homophobia.

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

‘Individuals wish to hurt me’

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

“My only desire is compete in soccer and be treated equally,” he stated in an accompanying video.

Cavallo was twenty-one and making a name for himself at Adelaide United in the premier division when, with the support of his team-mates, he publicly came out.

“I didn't know what was ahead. I had no expectations,” he says. “The moment seemed appropriate in my life. I needed to move forward.”

The heartfelt revelation clip, entitled ‘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 the player, with then manager Jurgen Klopp saying: “I'm really thankful that he did it because it sparks conversation.”

Spanish player the athlete also offered support, posting online that “soccer culture is far behind and your actions drive progress”, while his former club released a comment backing their “remarkable” and “courageous” player.

Others, however, were less welcoming.

The footballer quickly became a subject to anti-gay remarks by opposition fans.

In January 2022 a competing team were fined A$5,000 over anti-gay abuse from fans directed at Cavallo during a game.

“The comments I encountered were hurtful and disparaging towards my community,” he explains.

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

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

“It was terrifying,” he remembers. “I remember thinking ‘this is real - people want to harm me’.

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

“I hope that the next person who reveals their orientation while playing football at a professional standard won't face the journey I have endured.”

Cavallo says the constant menacing messages and abusive messages have affected his mental health.

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

“We don't sit straight people down and ask ‘what gives you the right in football?’.

“A lot of people see me as a smiling, positive person. But sometimes when I lean on my fiance, Leighton, and he witnesses a lot that happens privately.”

‘Top-tier athlete revealing orientation would create waves’

The player's choice to reveal his sexuality helped prompt 17-year-old attacking player another athlete to come out as the Britain's sole publicly out playing soccer professional in May 2022.

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

“It would create massive change,” says Cavallo on the effect a Premier League player revealing their orientation would make.

“But I must be honest. There are a lot of scary things that would await this individual. In the world of football, being an openly gay player is a highly hostile environment.”

Twenty-seven years after a pioneering player - Britain's first openly gay male footballer - died by suicide in 1998, the current athlete has discussed the “harmful male culture” that persists in men's football.

“You just need to go to a game and observe the unfriendly atmosphere and male-dominated culture that the audience creates,” he says.

“There is still a lot of work 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 much as we would like.

“I can only keep pushing for what I think is right, and strive for taking out the harmful male norms in soccer locker rooms and creating a safe space.”

‘My mission is to drive progress’

The player says football has enabled discussions within team environments about coming out.

However, he is disapproving toward Fifa, after Qatar, where same-sex relationships are illegal, hosted the men's World Cup in 2022.

Future World Cup is scheduled in Saudi Arabia, where same-sex attraction is also illegal.

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

“I get messages [from people living in these countries] saying ‘I face imprisonment for my identity - is assistance possible?’.

“It's devastating that people are getting locked up for being who they are.

“Certain nations that are significant soccer markets and they reject the queer community. Those are the countries that often focus on me.”

Nevertheless, Cavallo says he won't cease advocating.

“Soccer has enabled dialogue in the changing room. It has allowed me to speak and inform individuals who seek understanding.

“Some will disapprove for your identity. But I have found my family. I have found my community.

“My mission is to create change. That's what I'm here for.”