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

Since revealing he was gay in 2021, player Josh Cavallo has received daily death threats and abusive messages on social media.

“When I first saw these messages, it broke my heart,” Cavallo explains. “Nobody should have to endure such words.

“I'm working to improve my skills and be the best I can be on the pitch, and then get put down due to my identity. It's appalling.”

Player the sportsman was playing for Adelaide United back in 2020 when he became the only openly gay 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 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 asked if football still has a problem with discrimination.

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

‘Individuals wish to hurt me’

It took years for Cavallo to work up the courage to say “I am homosexual” before coming out on October 27th, 2021.

“My only desire 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, 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 wanted to take the next step.”

His emotional coming out video, entitled ‘His Personal Story’, gained massive attention on social media.

“My phone was flooded with encouraging words. It was overwhelming.”

Liverpool were among numerous famous teams around the world to show solidarity with Cavallo, with the coach at the time Jurgen Klopp saying: “I'm really thankful that he did it because now we talk again.”

Spanish player Gerard Pique also offered support, posting online that “the world of football is lagging behind and your actions drive progress”, while his former club issued a statement backing their “extraordinary” and “courageous” player.

Others, however, were not so accepting.

The footballer soon turned into a subject to homophobic abuse by rival supporters.

In January 2022 Melbourne Victory were fined A$5,000 over anti-gay abuse from spectators aimed toward 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 coverage.

“It was terrifying,” he recalls. “The thought crossed my mind ‘this is happening - people want to harm me’.

“Should this be tolerated? 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 won't face the journey I have experienced.”

The player says the constant menacing messages and abusive messages have affected his psychological well-being.

“It's disappointing because I must justify why I deserve a place on the soccer pitch for my identity,” he states.

“Heterosexual players aren't questioned and ask ‘why should you exist in football?’.

“Many individuals see me as a smiling, optimistic person. But sometimes when I lean on my fiance, Leighton, and he gets to see much of what occurs behind the scenes.”

‘Top-tier athlete revealing orientation would create waves’

The player's choice to disclose his orientation helped prompt teenage Blackpool forward Jake Daniels to announce he was gay as the Britain's sole publicly out playing soccer professional in spring 2022.

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

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

“But I must be honest. Numerous frightening aspects that would await this individual. In the world of football, being an openly gay player is a highly hostile environment.”

Twenty-seven years after Justin Fashanu - Britain's first openly gay male footballer - died by suicide in 1998, the current athlete has spoken about the “toxic masculinity” that persists in professional soccer.

“Simply attend to a game and observe the unfriendly atmosphere and masculinity that the crowd brings,” he says.

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

“Progress has been limited (more players coming out) as much as we would like.

“My role is to continue advocating for principles I believe in, and strive for eliminating the toxic masculinity in football changing rooms and establishing secure environments.”

‘My mission is to drive progress’

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

However, he is critical of soccer's global governing body, after Qatar, where same-sex relationships are against the law, staged the global tournament 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 criminalise same-sex marriages, where individuals like myself will be imprisoned for merely living on that land? It's frightening,” states the athlete.

“I receive communications [from residents of such nations] saying ‘I face imprisonment for my identity - is assistance possible?’.

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

“Certain nations that are huge in terms of football and they reject the queer community. These places that tend to target me.”

Nevertheless, Cavallo says he will not stop speaking up.

“Soccer has enabled dialogue in the locker room. It lets me communicate and inform individuals who want to learn more.

“Some will disapprove for your identity. But I've discovered support. I have found my community.

“My purpose is to create change. That's what I'm here for.”