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

After announcing his homosexuality in 2021, player the athlete has received daily death threats and hateful comments on social media.

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

“I'm working to improve my skills and reach my full potential during matches, and then get put down because of who I am. It's disgusting.”

Player the sportsman 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 departed from Australia to join lower-tier club Peterborough Sports, who play in front of crowds 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 speaking up on inclusion matters and using his profile - boasting over a million followers on social media - to promote fairness and acceptance.

“Definitely, there's enormous work ahead,” Cavallo comments when questioned about ongoing issues with homophobia.

“Rarely a week passes without hearing about an issue.”

‘Individuals wish to hurt me’

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

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

The player was 21 and building his reputation at Adelaide United in the premier division when, with the support of his team-mates, he announced his orientation publicly.

“The future was uncertain. I didn't know what to expect,” he says. “The moment seemed appropriate in my life. I needed to move forward.”

His emotional coming out video, titled ‘His Personal Story’, gained massive attention on digital platforms.

“My mobile phone exploded with encouraging words. The response was incredible.”

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

Barcelona defender Gerard Pique also expressed backing, posting online that “soccer culture is far behind and you are helping us move forward”, while his former club issued a statement backing their “remarkable” and “brave” player.

Some people, however, were not so accepting.

Cavallo soon turned into a subject to anti-gay remarks by opposition fans.

In January 2022 a competing team were penalized five thousand dollars over discriminatory chants from fans directed at Cavallo during a game.

“The things I'd hear were hurtful and disparaging towards my community,” he says.

“I remained calm because responding would encourage detractors.”

There was a frightening incident at a petrol station in Australia, where the athlete was assaulted by an individual who identified him from the media attention.

“That was a scary moment,” he recalls. “I remember thinking ‘this is real - people want to harm me’.

“Is it acceptable? Definitely not. But by coming out, these are the consequences.

“I hope that the next person who comes out while playing football at a professional standard doesn't have to experience the path I have experienced.”

The player says the constant menacing messages and abusive messages have taken a toll on his psychological well-being.

“It's quite sad because I am having to explain why I belong on the football field for being who I am,” he says.

“We don't sit straight people down and ask ‘why should you exist in football?’.

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

‘Premier League player coming out would move mountains’

Cavallo's decision to disclose his orientation helped inspire 17-year-old Blackpool forward Jake Daniels 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 the footballer on the effect a elite athlete coming out would make.

“But I'm not going to sugar-coat it. Numerous frightening aspects that would come this person's way. Within soccer culture, identifying as LGBTQ is a very toxic place.”

Twenty-seven years after a pioneering player - Britain's first openly gay male footballer - took his own life in 1998, Cavallo has spoken about the “toxic masculinity” that persists in professional soccer.

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

“Much remains to be done to ensure there is a safe space in football for people like myself and his colleague.

“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 taking out 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 inside dressing rooms about coming out.

However, he is disapproving toward Fifa, after the Middle Eastern nation, where same-sex relationships are illegal, staged the global tournament in 2022.

Future World Cup will be held in another Gulf state, where homosexuality is similarly prohibited.

“Do I approve that the World Cup is in countries that criminalise same-sex marriages, where people like me will be imprisoned for merely living on that land? It's scary,” states Cavallo.

“I receive communications [from residents of such nations] 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 significant soccer markets and they reject the queer community. These places that often focus on me.”

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

“Football has allowed me to start conversations in the locker room. It lets me communicate and inform individuals who seek understanding.

“Some will disapprove for who you are. But I have found my family. I've connected with similar people.

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