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“You shouldn't exist” ... “What are you doing here?” ... “Don't take another breath.”

After announcing he was gay in 2021, player 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 be the best I can be on the pitch, and then face criticism due to my identity. It's disgusting.”

Midfielder Cavallo was playing for Adelaide United four years ago when he emerged as the sole publicly out elite soccer player in the world.

Recently he departed from Australia to join non-league Peterborough Sports, who compete before audiences of about 400 in National League North, the sixth tier of the English soccer system.

This young athlete combines playing for the Cambridgeshire part-timers by speaking up on LGBTQ+ issues and using his profile - he has more than one million followers on Instagram - to champion equality and inclusion.

“Definitely, we've got mountains to do,” Cavallo comments when questioned about ongoing issues with discrimination.

“Rarely a week passes without encountering problems.”

‘People want to harm me’

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

“All I want to do is play football and receive fair treatment,” he said in an related clip.

Cavallo was twenty-one and building his reputation at Adelaide United in the premier division when, backed by his colleagues, 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, titled ‘His Personal Story’, gained massive attention on social media.

“My phone was flooded with messages of support. The response was incredible.”

A prominent club were among numerous famous teams around the world to show solidarity with the player, with then manager the German manager saying: “I appreciate that he did it because it sparks conversation.”

Barcelona defender the athlete also offered support, posting online that “the world of football is lagging behind and your actions drive progress”, while his former club released a comment supporting their “extraordinary” and “brave” player.

Some people, however, were not so accepting.

The footballer soon turned into a subject to anti-gay remarks by opposition fans.

In January 2022 Melbourne Victory were fined five thousand dollars over anti-gay abuse from spectators directed at Cavallo during a game.

“The comments I encountered were painful and derogatory towards my community,” he explains.

“I didn't react 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.

“That was a scary moment,” he remembers. “I remember thinking ‘this is real - people want to harm me’.

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

“I hope that future individuals who reveals their orientation while competing in soccer at a professional standard won't face the journey I have endured.”

Cavallo says the constant menacing messages and hostile communications have affected his mental health.

“It's disappointing because I must justify why I deserve a place on the football field for my identity,” he says.

“We don't sit straight people down and ask ‘what gives you the right in football?’.

“Many individuals see me as a cheerful, optimistic person. But sometimes when I rely on my partner, his name, and he gets to see much of what occurs privately.”

‘Top-tier athlete revealing orientation would create waves’

The player's choice to reveal his sexuality helped inspire teenage attacking player Jake Daniels to come out as the Britain's sole publicly out active male professional footballer in spring 2022.

Nevertheless, there are zero publicly LGBTQ athletes in the top English division.

“It would create massive change,” says Cavallo on the effect a Premier League player revealing their orientation would make.

“But I'm not going to sugar-coat it. There are a lot of scary things that would await this individual. In the world of football, identifying as LGBTQ is a highly hostile environment.”

Over two decades after Justin Fashanu - Britain's first openly gay male footballer - died by suicide in 1998, Cavallo has discussed the “toxic masculinity” that persists in professional soccer.

“Simply attend to a match and observe the hostile environment and male-dominated culture that the crowd brings,” he explains.

“Much remains to be done to ensure there is a safe space in soccer for individuals like me and Jake.

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

“My role is to continue advocating for what I think is right, and strive for taking out the toxic masculinity in football changing rooms and establishing secure environments.”

‘My mission is to drive progress’

Cavallo says football has enabled discussions within team environments about revealing one's orientation.

However, he is critical of Fifa, after the Middle Eastern nation, where homosexual partnerships are illegal, staged the global tournament in 2022.

The 2034 tournament is scheduled in another Gulf state, where same-sex attraction is also illegal.

“Do I approve that the global championship is in nations that criminalise same-sex marriages, where people like me will be imprisoned for just existing on that land? It's frightening,” states the athlete.

“I get messages [from people living in these countries] saying ‘I'm about to be put in prison for my identity - is assistance possible?’.

“It's devastating that people are getting locked up for being who they are.

“Certain nations that are significant soccer markets and they don't accept LGBTQ+ people. These places that tend to target me.”

Despite this, Cavallo says he will not stop speaking up.

“Football has allowed me to start conversations in the changing room. It lets me communicate and educate people who want to learn more.

“Not everyone is going to like you for your identity. But I've discovered support. I have found my community.

“My purpose is to create change. That's my objective.”