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

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

“Upon reading those comments, I was devastated,” 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 face criticism because of who I am. It's appalling.”

Player the sportsman was playing for Adelaide United back in 2020 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 compete before audiences of about 400 in National League North, the sixth tier of English football.

This young athlete balances his sports career for the Cambridgeshire part-timers by advocating for LGBTQ+ issues and using his profile - boasting over a million followers on Instagram - to champion equality and acceptance.

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

“Rarely a week passes without encountering problems.”

‘People want to harm me’

Several years passed for Cavallo to work up the courage to say “I am homosexual” before coming out on 27 October 2021.

“My only desire is play football and receive fair treatment,” he said in an related clip.

Cavallo was 21 and building his reputation at his Australian club in the premier division when, backed by his colleagues, he publicly came out.

“I didn't know what was ahead. I didn't know what to expect,” he recalls. “The moment seemed appropriate in my life. I wanted to take the next step.”

The heartfelt revelation clip, titled ‘His Personal Story’, went viral on digital platforms.

“My phone was flooded with messages of support. The response was incredible.”

A prominent club were one of many high-profile clubs around the world to express support for Cavallo, with the coach at the time the German manager saying: “I'm really thankful that he did it because now we talk again.”

Spanish player the athlete also expressed backing, posting online that “soccer culture is lagging behind and your actions drive progress”, while his former club released a comment supporting their “extraordinary” and “brave” player.

Others, however, were not so accepting.

The footballer quickly became a subject to anti-gay remarks by rival supporters.

During early 2022 Melbourne Victory were fined five thousand dollars over discriminatory chants from spectators 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 responding would encourage detractors.”

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

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

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

“My wish is that the next person who reveals their orientation while playing football at a professional standard won't face the journey I have experienced.”

The player 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 soccer pitch for my identity,” he says.

“Heterosexual players aren't questioned and ask ‘what gives you the right in football?’.

“A lot of people see me as a cheerful, positive person. But there are days when I lean on my fiance, his name, and he witnesses much of what occurs privately.”

‘Top-tier athlete revealing orientation would create waves’

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

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

“It would move mountains,” says Cavallo on the effect a elite athlete revealing their orientation would make.

“But I'm not going to sugar-coat it. 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, the current athlete has spoken about the “harmful male culture” that persists in men's football.

“You just need to go to a match and see the hostile environment and male-dominated culture that the audience creates,” he explains.

“There is still a lot of work to ensure there is a secure environment in football for people like myself 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 strive for eliminating the toxic masculinity in football changing rooms and creating a safe space.”

‘My mission is to drive progress’

Cavallo says soccer has allowed him to have conversations inside dressing rooms about revealing one's orientation.

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

The 2034 tournament will be held in another Gulf state, where same-sex attraction is also illegal.

“Am I impressed that the World Cup is in countries that ban gay unions, where people like me will be put in prison for just existing on their territory? It's frightening,” states Cavallo.

“I receive communications [from people living in these countries] saying ‘I'm about to be put in prison for my identity - can you help me?’.

“It breaks my heart that individuals are incarcerated for their true selves.

“There are countries that are significant soccer markets and they don't accept the queer community. These places that often focus on me.”

Nevertheless, the footballer says he won't cease advocating.

“Soccer has allowed me to start conversations in the locker room. It has allowed me to speak and educate people who seek understanding.

“Not everyone is going to like you for your identity. But I've discovered support. I have found my community.

“My mission is to create change. That's my objective.”