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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 faced constant threats and abusive messages on social media.

“When I first saw these messages, it broke my heart,” Cavallo states. “No-one wants to read things like that.

“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 disgusting.”

Midfielder the sportsman was playing for Adelaide United four years ago when he emerged as the sole publicly out top-flight male professional footballer in the world.

This summer 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 English football.

The 25-year-old 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 promote fairness and acceptance.

“Absolutely, we've got mountains to do,” the footballer says when asked if football still has a problem with homophobia.

“I don't go more than a week without encountering problems.”

‘Individuals wish to hurt me’

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

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

Cavallo was 21 and building his reputation at his Australian club in the premier division when, backed by his colleagues, he publicly came out.

“The future was uncertain. I didn't know what to expect,” he recalls. “It felt like the right time in my life. I needed to move forward.”

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

“My mobile phone exploded with encouraging words. It was overwhelming.”

A prominent club were among numerous famous teams around the world to show solidarity with the player, with then manager Jurgen Klopp saying: “I'm really thankful that he did it because now we talk again.”

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

Some people, however, were less welcoming.

The footballer soon turned into a target of homophobic abuse by rival supporters.

In January 2022 a competing team were fined five thousand dollars over discriminatory chants from spectators directed at the player during a match.

“The things I'd hear were hurtful and disparaging towards LGBTQ people,” he says.

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

There was a frightening incident at a gas station in Australia, where the athlete was physically attacked by someone who recognised him from the media attention.

“That was a scary moment,” he recalls. “The thought crossed my mind ‘this is real - individuals intend to hurt me’.

“Should this be tolerated? Definitely not. But by coming out, these are the consequences.

“My wish is that future individuals who comes out while playing football at a high level doesn't have to experience the path I have experienced.”

Cavallo says the daily death threats and hostile communications have taken a toll on his mental health.

“It's disappointing because I must justify why I belong 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, positive person. But sometimes when I lean on my fiance, Leighton, and he gets to see much of what occurs privately.”

‘Top-tier athlete revealing orientation would create waves’

The player's choice to disclose his orientation helped inspire 17-year-old attacking player another athlete 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 the footballer on the effect a elite athlete coming out would make.

“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 a pioneering player - the UK's initial out soccer professional - 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 game and observe the hostile environment and masculinity that the crowd brings,” he explains.

“There is still a lot of work to ensure there is a secure environment in soccer for individuals like me and Jake.

“We haven't seen it (additional athletes revealing their orientation) as much as we would like.

“My role is to continue advocating for what I think is right, and work towards taking out the toxic masculinity in football changing rooms and creating a safe space.”

‘I'm here to create change’

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

However, he is disapproving toward soccer's global governing body, after the Middle Eastern nation, where same-sex relationships are against the law, hosted the men's World Cup in 2022.

Future World Cup will be held in Saudi Arabia, where homosexuality is similarly prohibited.

“Am I impressed that the World Cup is in nations that ban gay unions, where individuals like myself will be imprisoned for merely living 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 being who I am - is assistance possible?’.

“It breaks my heart that individuals are incarcerated for their true selves.

“Certain nations that are significant soccer markets and they don't accept the queer community. These places that often focus on me.”

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

“Football has allowed me to start conversations in the locker room. It has allowed me to speak and inform individuals who want to learn more.

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

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