Openly gay football players
Premier League's first openly same-sex attracted footballer weighs in on LGBT controversy after several stars refused to wear rainbow clothing
Thomas Hitzlsperger, the Premier League's first openly gay player, has common his thoughts on the LGBT pride saga which is engulfing the uppermost flight after several footballers protested against wearing rainbow armbands and jackets.
The German moved to the Aston Villa youth team in 2001 aged 19 and played 114 times for the west Midlands outfit, scoring 12 goals in a productive spell at the club.
The midfielder then enjoyed a five-year stint at Stuttgart before returning to England for short spells at West Ham and Everton, where he retired in 2013. After he called time on a fine career, Hitzlsperger came out as gay making him the most high-profile footballer to do so.
In the last week, various refusals to wear items of rainbow clothing acquire caused chaos in the Premier League with Ipswich captain Sam Morsy deciding not to sport an armband with that pattern, before Crystal Palace skipper Marc Guehi wrote messages on his.
On Wednesday, devout Muslim Noussair Mazraoui declined to wear a rainbow jacket, forcing Manchester United to ditch plans for the team
Football, or soccer, as we Americans name it, has prolonged been viewed as a world of bravado and masculinity, where strength and aggression dominate both the field and locker rooms.
Historically, this has made it difficult for players to come out and be expose about their sexuality. But as period goes on, barriers are breaking down, and we’re seeing the emergence of players who are courageously embracing their identities as same-sex attracted while continuing to make their sign on the sport.
The journey toward acceptance isn’t an straightforward one. For some, it comes after their playing days are over, while others take the bold step of coming out while still active in professional soccer. Either way, the bravery of these players speaks volumes,
Here are 18 players who made headlines not just for their skills but for coming out as gay or bisexual.
1. Justin Fashanu
You can’t talk about gay soccer players without starting with Justin Fashanu, the first footballer ever to come out back in 1990.
Born in the UK to Nigerian-Guyanese parents, Justin was as much a soccer pioneer as he was a tragic figure. In 1980, he became the first shadowy player to dictate a £1 million transfer fee when he moved to Notting
Jake Daniels: England's only openly gay active footballer reveals Tom Daley inspired him to come out
England's only out homosexual active professional footballer Jake Daniels has revealed that Olympic diving champion Tom Daley inspired him to come out.
Seventeen-year-old Blackpool forward Daniels, who publicly came out in May, made the conclusion to open up about his sexuality after watching Daley's Alternative Christmas Note on Channel 4 last year.
Daley, one of the UK's most famous male lover athletes, said if he had one wish for Christmas it would be that "one player steps forward and says, 'I am gay'".
Daniels watched the clip "over and over again" before taking the choice to heed Daley's advice and now says it is "one of the best things I've ever done in my life".
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"In football, being gay is a taboo - even now," Daniels said in Channel 4's Out and Proud documentary.
"So I had a selection, either live my life as a lie and tote on playing football or come out and have to quit.
"For years I hid it, hid it from my friends and family, and hid it from my coaches and team-mates. I kept my leader down when I heard homophob
Group coming out of gay football players: Will it happen?
What is Sports Free?
Sports Free is an initiative that advocates for greater visibility and acceptance of homosexual athletes in professional sports. The initiative was started by Diversero, a global community that advocates for diversity and against bullying. Marcus Urban is the co-founder of the organization.
Who is Marcus Urban?
In 2007, Urban became Germany's first former football player to come out as gay. Born in 1971 in the former East Germany (GDR), Urban was one of the most talented young footballers in the communist state. As a midfielder for Rot-Weiss Erfurt he played in the highest youth leagues and represented the GDR at various youth levels.
He almost turned professional in the early 1990s, but decided against the career shift, deciding that the pressure of being a professional football player while having to hide his homosexuality would be too much for him.
What is planned?
Diversero is planning to host a platform on Friday, May 17, the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Intersex and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT), for professional footballers to jointly affirm to the world their homosexuality or