At the start of the approximately three-minute video titled “Josh’s Truth”, the Adelaide United pro announced that he wanted to share “something personal” with the community: “I’m a footballer and I’m gay.” In order to be able to fulfill his dream of professional football, Cavallo hid his emotions in his youth because he was cranky. But now he’s tired of leading this double life – a feeling he doesn’t wish on anyone: “All I want is to play football and be treated equally.”

The 21-year-old said he has received a lot of support from his family, friends and teammates: “I want to show people that it doesn’t matter if you are gay and play football.” Cavallo wanted to inspire more footballers to take this step by releasing:

“It’s amazing to know that there are currently no professional gay soccer players coming out and playing actively. Not just in Australia, but all over the world,” Cavallo wrote on Instagram. “I know there are other players who have not dared to stand out. I want to help change that.”

Englishman Justin Fashanu was the first professional footballer to admit his homosexuality during his career in 1990. German Thomas Hitzlsperger or the American Robbie Rogers did it after or when they ended their careers. In the spring, the German football magazine “11FREUNDE “raised awareness on the subject with a large-scale campaign. So far, no professional footballer active in Austria has turned out to be homosexual.