Sparta Prague midfielder Jakub Jankto used Instagram to come out and make known the fact that he was gay: "Like everyone else, I have my strengths. I have my weaknesses. I have a family. I have my friends. I have a job that I did as best I could, for years, with seriousness, professionalism and passion. Like everyone else, I too want to live my life in freedom. Without prejudice. Without violence. But with love. I am homosexual and not I want to hide more".
Jankto thus joins a very short line of forerunners: he goes just beyond the fingers of a hand, and almost always these are revelations that arrived only at the end of his career. The first was Justin Fashanu, later the victim of his own fragility but also of many discriminations until his suicide in May 1998. The last, again in the UK, was Jake Daniels in 2005, a very young Blackpool striker. In between, very few "big" and even fewer Europeans: in 2021 the coming out of Joshua Cavallo, Australian side of Adelaide United, made noise. By far, the most famous name remains that of Thomas Hitzlsperger, former midfielder with 52 appearances for Germany, now sporting director of Stuttgart: in his case, the announcement came at the end of his career, ended with the Everton shirt . Choice also shared by David Testo (former Montreal Impact), Olivier Rouyer (17 appearances for France), Matt Pacifici (former Columbus Crew), Robbie Rogers (who, however, then resumed playing with LA Galaxy) and Thomas Beattie ( formerly Hull City). Still active Andy Brennan (plays in Australia), Anton Hysen (Denmark) and Collin Martin (USA).
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