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

Since revealing his homosexuality in 2021, player Josh Cavallo has received daily death threats and abusive messages on online platforms.

“Upon reading those comments, it broke my heart,” Cavallo states. “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 disgusting.”

Midfielder the sportsman was playing for Adelaide United four years ago when he became the only openly gay elite soccer player in the world.

This summer he left Australia to join lower-tier club Peterborough Sports, who compete before audiences of about 400 in the sixth division, one level below of the English soccer system.

This young athlete balances his sports career for the Cambridgeshire part-timers by advocating for LGBTQ+ issues and leveraging his platform - he has more than one million followers on Instagram - to champion equality and inclusion.

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

“I don't go more than a week without hearing about an issue.”

‘Individuals wish to hurt me’

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

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

The player was twenty-one and building his reputation at Adelaide United in the premier division when, with the support of his team-mates, he publicly came out.

“The future was uncertain. I had no expectations,” he says. “It felt like the right time in my life. I wanted to take the next step.”

His emotional coming out video, entitled ‘Josh's Truth’, gained massive attention on social media.

“My phone was flooded with messages of support. It was overwhelming.”

Liverpool were one of many high-profile clubs around the world to show solidarity with Cavallo, with the coach at the time Jurgen Klopp saying: “I appreciate that he did it because now we talk again.”

Spanish player the athlete also expressed backing, writing on social media that “soccer culture is lagging behind and you are helping us move forward”, while Adelaide United released a comment backing their “remarkable” and “courageous” player.

Others, however, were not so accepting.

The footballer soon turned into a subject to homophobic abuse by opposition fans.

In January 2022 a competing team were penalized five thousand dollars over discriminatory chants from spectators aimed toward Cavallo during a game.

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

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

A scary event occurred at a petrol station in Australia, where Cavallo was physically attacked by an individual who identified him from the media attention.

“It was terrifying,” he remembers. “I remember thinking ‘this is real - individuals intend to hurt me’.

“Is it acceptable? Absolutely not. But by coming out, this is what it brings.

“I hope that future individuals who reveals their orientation while competing in soccer at a professional standard doesn't have to experience the path I have endured.”

Cavallo says the daily death threats and abusive messages have affected his psychological well-being.

“It's disappointing because I am having to explain why I deserve a place on the soccer pitch for my identity,” he states.

“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 there are days when I lean on my fiance, Leighton, and he witnesses much of what occurs behind the scenes.”

‘Top-tier athlete revealing orientation would create waves’

The player's choice to reveal his sexuality helped inspire teenage Blackpool forward Jake Daniels to come out as the UK's only openly gay playing soccer professional in spring 2022.

However, there are zero publicly LGBTQ athletes in the Premier League.

“It would create massive change,” says Cavallo on the effect a Premier League player coming out would make.

“But I'm not going to sugar-coat it. There are a lot of scary things that would come this person's way. In the world of football, being an openly gay player is a very toxic place.”

Over two decades after a pioneering player - Britain's first openly gay male footballer - took his own life in 1998, Cavallo has spoken about the “harmful male culture” that still exists in professional soccer.

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

“Much remains to be done to make sure there is a secure environment in soccer for people like myself and Jake.

“We haven't seen it (more players coming out) as much as we would like.

“My role is to continue advocating for principles I believe in, and strive for taking out the toxic masculinity in soccer locker rooms and creating a safe space.”

‘My mission is to drive progress’

The player says football has enabled discussions inside dressing rooms about coming out.

However, he is critical of Fifa, after Qatar, where homosexual partnerships are against the law, hosted the men's World Cup in 2022.

Future World Cup is scheduled in Saudi Arabia, where homosexuality is also illegal.

“Do I approve that the global championship is in nations that criminalise same-sex marriages, where people like me will be put in prison for merely living on that land? It's frightening,” states Cavallo.

“I get messages [from residents of such nations] saying ‘I'm about to be put in prison for being who I am - is assistance possible?’.

“It's devastating that people are getting locked up for their true selves.

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

Despite this, the footballer says he won't cease advocating.

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

“Not everyone is going to like you for who you are. But I've discovered support. I've connected with similar people.

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