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“You don't belong on this earth” ... “What are you doing here?” ... “Don't take another breath.”

Since revealing he was gay in 2021, footballer the athlete has received daily death threats and hateful comments on social media.

“Upon reading those comments, I was devastated,” the player explains. “Nobody should have to endure such words.

“I'm trying to get better as a player 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 at Adelaide United back in 2020 when he emerged as the sole publicly out top-flight male professional footballer in the world.

This summer he left Australia to join non-league Peterborough Sports, who play in front of crowds of about 400 in the sixth division, one level below of English football.

The 25-year-old combines playing for the Cambridgeshire part-timers by advocating for LGBTQ+ issues and leveraging his platform - boasting over a million followers on social media - to champion equality and inclusion.

“Absolutely, we've got mountains to do,” Cavallo comments 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 coming out on October 27th, 2021.

“All I want to do is compete in soccer and receive fair treatment,” he said in an related clip.

The player was twenty-one 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. “It felt like the right time in my life. I wanted to take the next step.”

His emotional coming out video, entitled ‘Josh's Truth’, went viral on social media.

“My phone was flooded with encouraging words. It was overwhelming.”

A prominent club were among numerous famous teams around the world to express support for the player, with then manager Jurgen Klopp saying: “I appreciate that he did it because now we talk again.”

Spanish player Gerard Pique also expressed backing, writing on social media that “soccer culture is far behind and your actions drive progress”, while Adelaide United issued a statement supporting their “remarkable” and “brave” player.

Some people, however, were not so accepting.

Cavallo soon turned into a subject to anti-gay remarks by rival supporters.

During early 2022 a competing team were penalized five thousand dollars over discriminatory chants from fans directed at the player during a match.

“The comments I encountered were hurtful and disparaging towards my community,” he says.

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

A scary event occurred at a petrol station in Australia, where Cavallo was assaulted by an individual who identified him from the coverage.

“That was a scary moment,” he remembers. “I remember thinking ‘this is real - individuals intend to hurt me’.

“Is it acceptable? Absolutely not. But through my disclosure, these are the consequences.

“My wish is that future individuals who reveals their orientation while playing football at a high level won't face the journey I have experienced.”

Cavallo says the constant menacing messages and hostile communications have taken a toll on his mental health.

“It's disappointing because I am having to explain why I deserve a place on the soccer pitch for my identity,” he says.

“Heterosexual players aren't questioned and ask ‘why should you exist in football?’.

“Many individuals see me as a smiling, positive person. But there are days when I rely on my partner, his name, and he gets to see a lot that happens behind the scenes.”

‘Top-tier athlete revealing orientation would create waves’

Cavallo's decision to disclose his orientation helped prompt teenage attacking player Jake Daniels to come out as the Britain's sole publicly out active male professional footballer in May 2022.

However, there are no openly gay or bisexual players in the top English division.

“It would move mountains,” says the footballer on the impact a Premier League player coming out would make.

“But I must be honest. Numerous frightening aspects that would come this person's way. In the world of football, being an openly gay player is a very toxic place.”

Over two decades after a pioneering player - Britain's first openly gay male footballer - died by suicide in 1998, Cavallo has spoken about the “harmful male culture” that persists in men's football.

“You just need to go to a match and observe the unfriendly atmosphere and masculinity that the audience creates,” he explains.

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

“We haven't seen it (more players coming out) as much as we would like.

“I can only keep pushing for what I think is right, and work towards eliminating the harmful male norms in soccer locker rooms and establishing secure environments.”

‘I'm here to create change’

The player says soccer has enabled discussions within team environments about revealing one's orientation.

However, he is disapproving toward Fifa, after the Middle Eastern nation, where same-sex relationships are illegal, hosted the men's World Cup in 2022.

Future World Cup is scheduled in Saudi Arabia, where same-sex attraction is similarly prohibited.

“Do I approve that the World Cup is in nations that criminalise same-sex marriages, where individuals like myself will be imprisoned for just existing on their territory? It's scary,” states Cavallo.

“I get messages [from people living in these countries] saying ‘I face imprisonment for being who I am - can you help me?’.

“It's devastating that people are getting locked up for being who they are.

“Certain nations that are huge in terms of football 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.

“Soccer has enabled dialogue in the changing room. It has allowed me to speak and inform individuals who want to learn more.

“Some will disapprove for your identity. But I have found my family. I have found my community.

“My mission is to create change. That's what I'm here for.”