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“You don't belong on this earth” ... “Why are you here?” ... “Don't take another breath.”

After announcing he was gay in 2021, footballer Josh Cavallo has faced constant threats and abusive messages on social media.

“Upon reading those comments, I was devastated,” Cavallo states. “No-one wants to read things like that.

“I'm trying to get better as a player and reach my full potential during matches, and then get put down because of who I am. It's disgusting.”

Player 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.

Recently he departed from Australia to join lower-tier club Peterborough Sports, who compete before audiences of about 400 in the sixth division, one level below of English football.

This young athlete balances his sports career for the semi-professional team by speaking up on inclusion matters and using his profile - he has more than one million followers on Instagram - to promote fairness and inclusion.

“Definitely, we've got mountains to do,” the footballer says when asked if football still has a problem with homophobia.

“Rarely a week passes without encountering problems.”

‘Individuals wish to hurt me’

Several years passed for Cavallo to build up the bravery to say “I'm gay” before coming out on 27 October 2021.

“All I want to do is compete in soccer and be treated equally,” he stated in an related clip.

Cavallo was twenty-one and making a name for himself at his Australian club in the premier division when, with the support of his team-mates, he announced his orientation publicly.

“The future was uncertain. I didn't know what to expect,” he says. “It felt like the right time in my life. I needed to move forward.”

The heartfelt revelation clip, entitled ‘Josh's Truth’, went viral on digital platforms.

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

A prominent club were among numerous famous teams around the world to express support for the player, with the coach at the time Jurgen Klopp saying: “I'm really thankful that he did it because it sparks conversation.”

Spanish player Gerard Pique also offered support, posting online that “soccer culture is far behind and you are helping us move forward”, while his former club issued a statement backing their “remarkable” and “brave” player.

Others, however, were not so accepting.

The footballer quickly became a subject to homophobic abuse by opposition fans.

In January 2022 a competing team were penalized A$5,000 over discriminatory chants from fans directed at Cavallo during a match.

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

“I remained calm because I knew that would only feed the haters.”

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

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

“Should this be tolerated? Definitely not. But through my disclosure, this is what it brings.

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

Cavallo says the daily death threats and hostile communications have affected his psychological well-being.

“It's quite sad because I am having to explain why I deserve a place on the football field for my identity,” 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, positive person. But there are days when I lean on my fiance, Leighton, and he gets to see a lot that happens privately.”

‘Premier League player coming out would move mountains’

The player's choice to disclose his orientation helped inspire 17-year-old 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 move mountains,” says the footballer on the impact a Premier League player coming out would make.

“But I'm not going to sugar-coat it. Numerous frightening aspects that would await this individual. In the world of football, identifying as LGBTQ is a very toxic place.”

Twenty-seven years after a pioneering player - the UK's initial out soccer professional - died by suicide in 1998, Cavallo has discussed the “harmful male culture” that persists in professional soccer.

“You just need to go to a match and observe the hostile environment and male-dominated culture that the crowd brings,” he says.

“There is still a lot of work to ensure there is a safe space in football for individuals like me and Jake.

“We haven't seen it (additional athletes revealing their orientation) as frequently as desired.

“I can only keep pushing for what I think is right, and work towards taking out the toxic masculinity in soccer locker rooms and establishing secure environments.”

‘I'm here to create change’

The player says football has allowed him to have conversations within team environments about coming out.

Yet, 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 is scheduled in Saudi Arabia, where same-sex attraction is similarly prohibited.

“Do I approve that the global championship is in countries that ban gay unions, where people like me will be put in prison for just existing on their territory? It's frightening,” says the athlete.

“I receive communications [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.

“There are countries that are huge in terms of football and they don't accept LGBTQ+ people. These places that tend to target me.”

Despite this, the footballer says he will not stop speaking up.

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

“Not everyone is going to like you 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.”