Adelaide United’s midfielder Josh Cavallo on Wednesday came out as gay, making him the only known current top-flight male professional footballer in the world to do so. The 21-year-old, in a message on social media, said that he ‘has been fighting his sexuality for six years’ and is glad that he can put that to rest.

In the message and a video shared by his club, the footballer said, “It’s been a journey to get to this point in my life, but I couldn’t be happier with my decision to come out. I have been fighting my sexuality for over six years now, and I’m glad I can put that to rest.”

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“For the people that know me personally, you’ll know I’m a private person. Growing up, I always felt the need to hide myself because I was ashamed. Ashamed I would never be able to do what I loved and be gay. Hiding who I truly am, to pursue a dream I always wished for as a kid, to play football and be treated equally never felt like a reality.”

Cavallo immediately received immense support on social media as several fans and players including Barcelona defender Gerard Pique thanked him for ‘taking the step’ and coming out. 

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“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. 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,” the A-League player further wrote. 

Former Aston Villa player Thomas Hitzlsperger announced that he was gay in 2013 as he retired from the sport. Leeds player Robbie Rogers also came out after retiring in the same year. He did return to the field with LA Galaxy and ended up winning the MLS Cup to become the first openly gay male athlete to win a major professional team sports title in the United States. Newcastle Jets’ Andy Brennan became Australia’s first professional male footballer to come out as gay while still playing the game.