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“You shouldn't exist” ... “What are you doing here?” ... “Stop breathing.”

After announcing he was gay in 2021, footballer the athlete has faced constant threats and hateful comments 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 became the only openly gay top-flight male professional footballer in the world.

This summer he departed from Australia to join lower-tier club Peterborough Sports, who play in front of crowds of about 400 in National League North, the sixth tier of the English soccer system.

This young athlete balances his sports career for the semi-professional team by speaking up on LGBTQ+ issues and using his profile - boasting over a million followers on social media - to promote fairness and inclusion.

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

“Rarely a week passes without encountering problems.”

‘People want to harm me’

It took years for Cavallo to build up the bravery to say “I am homosexual” before revealing his sexuality on October 27th, 2021.

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

Cavallo was 21 and making a name for himself at Adelaide United in the premier division when, backed by his colleagues, he publicly came out.

“I didn't know what was ahead. I had no expectations,” he recalls. “The moment seemed appropriate in my life. I wanted to take the next step.”

His emotional coming out video, entitled ‘His Personal Story’, went viral on digital platforms.

“My phone was flooded with messages of support. It was overwhelming.”

Liverpool were one of many high-profile clubs around the world to express support for Cavallo, with the coach at the time Jurgen Klopp saying: “I appreciate that he did it because now we talk again.”

Barcelona defender the athlete also offered support, posting online that “the world of football is lagging behind and you are helping us move forward”, while his former club released a comment supporting their “remarkable” and “courageous” player.

Some people, however, were not so accepting.

The footballer soon turned into a target of anti-gay remarks by opposition fans.

In January 2022 a competing team were fined five thousand dollars over discriminatory chants from spectators aimed toward the player during a game.

“The comments I encountered were hurtful and derogatory towards LGBTQ people,” he explains.

“I didn't react because responding would encourage detractors.”

A scary event occurred at a gas station in Australia, where Cavallo was physically attacked by someone who recognised him from the coverage.

“It was terrifying,” he recalls. “I remember thinking ‘this is happening - individuals intend to hurt me’.

“Is it acceptable? Absolutely not. But through my disclosure, this is what it brings.

“I hope that the next person who comes out while competing in soccer at a high level doesn't have to experience the path I have experienced.”

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

“It's quite sad because I am having to explain 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?’.

“A lot of people see me as a smiling, optimistic person. But sometimes when I lean on my fiance, his name, and he gets to see a lot that happens privately.”

‘Top-tier athlete revealing orientation would create waves’

The player's choice to disclose his orientation helped inspire 17-year-old Blackpool forward another athlete to announce he was gay as the Britain's sole publicly out active male professional footballer in May 2022.

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

“It would create massive change,” says Cavallo on the effect a elite athlete revealing their orientation would have.

“But I must be honest. Numerous frightening aspects that would await this individual. In the world of football, identifying as LGBTQ is a very toxic place.”

Twenty-seven years after a pioneering player - the UK's initial out soccer professional - died by suicide in 1998, the current athlete has spoken about the “harmful male culture” that persists in professional soccer.

“Simply attend to a game and see the hostile environment and male-dominated culture that the audience creates,” he explains.

“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.

“I can only keep pushing for what I think is right, and strive for eliminating the toxic masculinity in football changing rooms and establishing secure environments.”

‘I'm here to create change’

The player says soccer has allowed him to have conversations within team environments about revealing one's orientation.

Yet, he is disapproving toward soccer's global governing body, after Qatar, where homosexual partnerships are against the law, staged the global tournament in 2022.

The 2034 tournament is scheduled in Saudi Arabia, where same-sex attraction is also illegal.

“Do I approve that the World Cup is in countries that ban gay unions, where people like me will be imprisoned for merely living on their territory? It's frightening,” states Cavallo.

“I get messages [from people living in these countries] saying ‘I face imprisonment for my identity - is assistance possible?’.

“It's devastating that individuals are incarcerated for their true selves.

“There are countries that are significant soccer markets and they reject LGBTQ+ people. Those are the countries that often focus on me.”

Nevertheless, the footballer says he will not stop speaking up.

“Soccer has allowed me to start conversations in the changing room. It has allowed me to speak and inform individuals who seek understanding.

“Not everyone is going to like you for your identity. But I've discovered support. I've connected with similar people.

“My mission is to drive progress. That's what I'm here for.”