Watch: Out Soccer Star Josh Cavallo Says He Gets Death Threats Daily

Adelaide United midfielder Josh Cavallo was the first top-flight soccer player to come out, and he's received nothing but support from his teammates. Homophobic trolls, though, are another matter.

The 25-year-old A-Leaguer said on a recent podcast appearance that even four years after embracing authenticity, he's subjected to a daily barrage of "multiple, multiple, multiple death threats that come my way." While he maintains that he wishes he'd come out earlier than he did, he also acknowledges that, "In the world of football, being an openly gay player is a very toxic place," UK newspaper the Guardian relayed.

"It's something not everyone would be able to handle and go through," Cavallo added.

"We're a very, very long way off acceptance in this space," Cavallo said during his appearance in the podcast Fifpro's Footballers Unfiltered, the Guardian recounted.

That being the sad reality, Cavallo told podcast host Joe Hart that it's little wonder so few top pro players have emerged from the closet because "it brings all this pressure, brings all this negativity that will affect their game in the long run."

Cavallo noted that "these are factors that people will consider in their coming out," which "comes with a mountain of downsides..."

The state of the sport, with so few openly queer male players, makes more sense to Cavallo now than it used to, the midfielder said. Looking back on his younger days, he explained, "I was tired of being hidden and tired of having to go around and hide from people and not live my authentic self. And then I would be like, 'Why hasn't this happened in football? Why hasn't no one ever came out to be themselves and be successful and play?'"

"And I understand that now looking back, all the negativity, all the things that come your way."

Cavallo recalled how he came out in an online video that he posted in 2021 – a video that "changed perspectives around the world," he said.

"Looking back, it was the best move and decision I've ever made," Cavallo said, noting that his coming out made possible "so much progression within the game."

"I wouldn't trade it for anything," Cavallo declared.

Anti-gay chants, homophobic taunts, and online hate notwithstanding, Cavallo disclosed that staying closeted "affected my mental health quite a lot," and coming out was the healthy thing to do. He also took note of the ongoing support he enjoys.

The soccer champ "said having a support network around him had helped him 'put up a wall' to protect him from abuse," the Guardian relayed.

Cavallo has spoken out about receiving death threats before and called out social media platforms for allowing hate to flourish, but that hasn't stopped him from success on and off the field; he remains a hero to LGBTQ+ people of all ages around the world. He even directly inspired another pro footballer, the UK's Jake Daniels, to come out.

Watch Josh Cavallo's guest spot on "Fifpro's Footballers Unfiltered" below.