Gerard Pique's Message For Footballer Who Comes Out As Gay

Barcelona centre-back Gerard Pique has sent a kind message to the Australian footballer who recently came out as gay.

AFCON 2022 At Risk? CAF Releases Statement

In the early hours of Wednesday morning, Australian A-League club Adelaide United shared a video on their Twitter account in which 21-year-old central midfielder Joshua Cavallo revealed that he is gay.

According to The Guardian, he is the only known active male top-flight player who is out – former Germany, Stuttgart, Lazio and Aston Villa midfielder Thomas Hitzlsperger came out publicly a year after he had retired from football in 2014.

Robbie Rogers announced that he is gay in 2013 upon hanging up his boots, although he later returned to the sport with LA Galaxy to become the first openly gay male athlete to win a major team sports title in the United States.

In his coming out message, Cavallo said it is important to him that more footballers are able to feel comfortable and safe living their truths by taking inspiration from his story.

"I want to help change this, to show that everyone is welcome in the game of football, and deserves the right to be their authentic self," he wrote in a statement released on social media.  

"It is astonishing to know that there are currently no gay professional footballers who are out and actively playing, not only in Australia, but around the world. Hopefully, this will change in the near future.

"I hope that in sharing who I am, I can show others who identify as LGBTQ+ that they are welcome in the football community. As the game of football keeps expanding, I want to help evolve the game even further, and let other players in my situation feel that they're not alone."

Barcelona stalwart Pique has since responded to the young player with a touching message, in which he told Cavallo that he is helping take football forward.

Below are the 10 biggest stadiums in Africa!

Related tags