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“You don't belong on this earth” ... “What are you doing here?” ... “Stop breathing.”

Since revealing his homosexuality in 2021, footballer the athlete has received daily death threats and abusive messages on online platforms.

“When I first saw these messages, it broke my heart,” the player states. “Nobody should have to endure such words.

“I'm trying to get better as a player and reach my full potential during matches, and then face criticism due to my identity. It's appalling.”

Midfielder Cavallo was playing for Adelaide United four years ago when he emerged as the sole publicly out elite soccer player in the world.

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

The 25-year-old balances his sports career for the Cambridgeshire part-timers by advocating for inclusion matters and leveraging his platform - he has more than one million followers on social media - to promote fairness and acceptance.

“Definitely, we've got mountains to do,” Cavallo says when questioned about ongoing issues with homophobia.

“I don't go more than a week without encountering problems.”

‘Individuals wish to hurt me’

Several years passed for the athlete to build up the bravery to say “I'm gay” before coming out on 27 October 2021.

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

Cavallo was twenty-one and building his reputation at Adelaide United in the premier division when, with the support of his team-mates, he publicly came out.

“The future was uncertain. I had no expectations,” he says. “It felt like the right time in my life. I needed to move forward.”

His emotional coming out video, titled ‘Josh's Truth’, went viral on digital platforms.

“My mobile phone exploded with encouraging words. It was overwhelming.”

A prominent club were among numerous famous teams around the world to express support for the player, with the coach at the time the German manager saying: “I appreciate that he did it because it sparks conversation.”

Spanish player the athlete also expressed backing, posting online that “the world of football is far behind and you are helping us move forward”, while his former club released a comment backing their “remarkable” and “brave” player.

Some people, however, were less welcoming.

The footballer soon turned into a target of anti-gay remarks by rival supporters.

During early 2022 Melbourne Victory were fined five thousand dollars over discriminatory chants from fans aimed toward the player during a match.

“The comments I encountered were painful and disparaging towards LGBTQ people,” he explains.

“I didn't react because I knew that would only feed the haters.”

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

“That was a scary moment,” he remembers. “The thought crossed my mind ‘this is real - people want to harm me’.

“Should this be tolerated? Absolutely not. But by coming out, these are the consequences.

“I hope that future individuals who comes out while competing in soccer at a professional standard won't face the path I have endured.”

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 belong on the football field for being who I am,” he states.

“We don't sit straight people down and ask ‘what gives you the right in football?’.

“A lot of people see me as a cheerful, positive person. But sometimes when I lean on my fiance, his name, and he witnesses a lot that happens behind the scenes.”

‘Premier League player coming out would move mountains’

The player's choice to disclose his orientation helped inspire teenage Blackpool forward another athlete to come out as the Britain's sole publicly out playing soccer professional in spring 2022.

However, there are zero publicly LGBTQ athletes in the Premier League.

“It would create massive change,” says Cavallo on the effect a Premier League player coming out would make.

“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.”

Over two decades after a pioneering player - Britain's first openly gay male footballer - took his own life in 1998, Cavallo has spoken about the “harmful male culture” that persists in professional soccer.

“You just need to go to a game and see the unfriendly atmosphere and male-dominated culture that the crowd brings,” he explains.

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

“We haven't seen it (additional athletes revealing their orientation) as frequently as desired.

“I can only keep pushing for what I think is right, and strive for eliminating the toxic masculinity in football changing rooms and creating a safe space.”

‘I'm here to create change’

The player says football has enabled discussions within team environments about coming out.

However, he is critical of Fifa, after Qatar, where homosexual partnerships are against the law, staged the global tournament in 2022.

The 2034 tournament will be held in Saudi Arabia, where homosexuality is similarly prohibited.

“Do I approve that the global championship is in nations that criminalise same-sex marriages, where individuals like myself will be put in prison for merely living on that land? It's frightening,” says the athlete.

“I receive communications [from people living in these countries] saying ‘I'm about to be put in prison for being who I am - is assistance possible?’.

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

“Certain nations that are significant soccer markets and they don't accept LGBTQ+ people. These places that tend to target me.”

Despite this, Cavallo says he will not stop speaking up.

“Football has allowed me to start conversations in the changing room. It lets me communicate and inform individuals who want to learn more.

“Not everyone is going to like you 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.”