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“You shouldn't exist” ... “What are you doing here?” ... “Don't take another breath.”

Since revealing he was gay in 2021, player the athlete has received daily death threats and hateful comments on online platforms.

“When I first saw these messages, I was devastated,” Cavallo states. “Nobody should have to endure such words.

“I'm trying to get better as a player and be the best I can be during matches, and then face criticism due to my identity. It's disgusting.”

Player the sportsman was playing for Adelaide United back in 2020 when he emerged as the sole publicly out elite soccer player in the world.

This summer he departed from Australia to join non-league Peterborough Sports, who play in front of crowds of about 400 in the sixth division, the sixth tier of English football.

The 25-year-old balances his sports career for the Cambridgeshire part-timers by speaking up on inclusion matters and using his profile - boasting over a million followers on social media - to champion equality and inclusion.

“Absolutely, there's enormous work ahead,” the footballer comments when questioned about ongoing issues with discrimination.

“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 play football and be treated equally,” he stated in an accompanying video.

Cavallo was twenty-one and making a name for himself at Adelaide United in Australia's top flight when, backed by his colleagues, he announced his orientation publicly.

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

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

“My mobile phone exploded with messages of support. It was overwhelming.”

A prominent club were one of many high-profile clubs 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, writing on social media that “soccer culture is far behind and your actions drive progress”, while Adelaide United released a comment backing their “remarkable” and “brave” player.

Others, however, were not so accepting.

Cavallo soon turned into a target of homophobic abuse by rival supporters.

In January 2022 Melbourne Victory were fined A$5,000 over discriminatory chants from spectators aimed toward the player during a match.

“The things I'd hear were painful and disparaging towards LGBTQ people,” he explains.

“I remained calm because responding would encourage detractors.”

A scary event occurred at a gas station in Australia, where the athlete was assaulted by an individual who identified 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’.

“Is it acceptable? Definitely not. But by coming out, this is what it brings.

“My wish is that the next person who comes out while competing in soccer at a professional standard won't face the path I have endured.”

The player says the daily death threats and abusive messages have affected his mental health.

“It's quite sad because I am having to explain why I deserve a place on the soccer pitch for being who I am,” he says.

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

“A lot of people see me as a smiling, positive person. But there are days when I rely on my partner, his name, and he witnesses a lot that happens privately.”

‘Top-tier athlete revealing orientation would create waves’

Cavallo's decision to reveal his sexuality helped inspire teenage Blackpool forward Jake Daniels to come out as the UK's only openly gay playing soccer professional in May 2022.

Nevertheless, there are zero publicly LGBTQ athletes in the top English division.

“It would create massive change,” says the footballer on the effect a elite athlete coming out would have.

“But I must be honest. Numerous frightening aspects that would come this person's way. Within soccer culture, being an openly gay player is a highly hostile environment.”

Over two decades after Justin Fashanu - the UK's initial out soccer professional - took his own life 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 game and observe the unfriendly atmosphere and masculinity that the audience creates,” he says.

“There is still a lot of work to make sure there is a safe space in football for people like myself and Jake.

“We haven't seen it (more players coming out) as frequently as desired.

“My role is to continue advocating for what I think is right, and strive for eliminating the harmful male norms in football changing rooms and creating a safe space.”

‘I'm here to create change’

Cavallo says football has allowed him to have conversations within team environments about coming out.

However, he is disapproving toward soccer's global governing body, after Qatar, where same-sex relationships are against the law, staged the global tournament in 2022.

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

“Do I approve that the global championship is in nations that criminalise same-sex marriages, where people like me will be imprisoned for just existing on their territory? 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 my identity - can you help me?’.

“It breaks my heart that people are getting locked up for being who they are.

“There are countries that are significant soccer markets and they don't accept the queer community. These places that tend to target me.”

Nevertheless, Cavallo says he won't cease advocating.

“Football has enabled dialogue in the changing room. It has allowed me to speak and educate people who seek understanding.

“Some will disapprove for who you are. But I've discovered support. I've connected with similar people.

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