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

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

“Upon reading those comments, it broke my heart,” the player explains. “No-one wants to read things like that.

“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 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 departed from Australia to join lower-tier club Peterborough Sports, who compete before audiences of about 400 in the sixth division, one level below of the English soccer system.

This young athlete balances his sports career for the semi-professional team by speaking up on inclusion matters and using his profile - boasting over a million followers on Instagram - to promote fairness and acceptance.

“Definitely, we've got mountains to do,” Cavallo says 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 receive fair treatment,” he said in an related clip.

The player was 21 and building his reputation at his Australian club in the premier division when, backed by his colleagues, he announced his orientation publicly.

“I didn't know what was ahead. 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’, went viral on digital platforms.

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

Liverpool were one of many high-profile clubs around the world to show solidarity with Cavallo, with then manager Jurgen Klopp saying: “I appreciate that he did it because it sparks conversation.”

Barcelona defender the athlete also expressed backing, writing on social media that “soccer culture is lagging behind and you are helping us move forward”, while Adelaide United issued a statement backing their “remarkable” and “brave” player.

Some people, however, were less welcoming.

Cavallo soon turned into a target of anti-gay remarks by opposition fans.

In January 2022 Melbourne Victory were penalized A$5,000 over discriminatory chants from fans directed at the player during a game.

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

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

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

“It was terrifying,” he recalls. “The thought crossed my mind ‘this is real - people want to harm me’.

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

“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 experienced.”

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

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

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

“Many individuals see me as a smiling, optimistic person. But there are days when I lean on my fiance, his name, and he witnesses much of what occurs behind the scenes.”

‘Premier League player coming out would move mountains’

The player's choice to disclose his orientation helped inspire teenage attacking player Jake Daniels to announce he was gay as the Britain's sole publicly out active male professional footballer in May 2022.

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

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

“But I must be honest. Numerous frightening aspects that would come this person's way. Within soccer culture, identifying as LGBTQ is a highly hostile environment.”

Over two decades after Justin Fashanu - 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 professional soccer.

“You just need to go to a match and observe the hostile environment and male-dominated culture that the crowd brings,” he says.

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

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

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

‘My mission is to drive progress’

The player says football has enabled discussions inside dressing rooms about coming out.

Yet, he is disapproving toward soccer's global governing body, after Qatar, where homosexual partnerships are against the law, hosted the men's World Cup in 2022.

Future World Cup is scheduled in Saudi Arabia, where homosexuality is also illegal.

“Am I impressed that the global championship is in countries that ban gay unions, where individuals like myself will be put in prison for just existing on their territory? It's frightening,” says Cavallo.

“I get messages [from residents of such nations] saying ‘I'm about to be put in prison for my identity - can you help me?’.

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

“Certain nations that are huge in terms of football and they reject LGBTQ+ people. Those are the countries that tend to target me.”

Nevertheless, Cavallo says he will not stop speaking up.

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

“Not everyone is going to like you for who you are. But I have found my family. I have found my community.

“My purpose is to drive progress. That's what I'm here for.”