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

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

“Upon reading those comments, it broke my heart,” the player explains. “Nobody should have to endure such words.

“I'm working to improve my skills and reach my full potential on the pitch, and then get put down due to my identity. It's disgusting.”

Midfielder the sportsman was at 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 sign with non-league Peterborough Sports, who play in front of crowds of about 400 in National League North, the sixth tier of English football.

The 25-year-old balances his sports career for the Cambridgeshire part-timers by advocating for inclusion matters and using his profile - he has more than one million followers on social media - to champion equality and inclusion.

“Absolutely, we've got mountains to do,” Cavallo comments when questioned about ongoing issues with discrimination.

“I don't go more than a week without hearing about an issue.”

‘Individuals wish to hurt me’

It took years for Cavallo to work up the courage to say “I am homosexual” before revealing his sexuality on 27 October 2021.

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

The player was 21 and making a name for himself at his Australian club in Australia's top flight when, with the support of his team-mates, he publicly came out.

“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.”

The heartfelt revelation clip, entitled ‘Josh's Truth’, gained massive attention on digital platforms.

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

A prominent club were among numerous famous teams around the world to show solidarity with Cavallo, with then manager Jurgen Klopp saying: “I appreciate that he took this step because it sparks conversation.”

Spanish player Gerard Pique also offered support, posting online that “the world of football is far behind and your actions drive progress”, while his former club released a comment supporting their “extraordinary” and “courageous” player.

Others, however, were not so accepting.

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

In January 2022 a competing team were penalized A$5,000 over discriminatory chants from fans directed at the player during a match.

“The comments I encountered were hurtful and derogatory towards my community,” he explains.

“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 the athlete was assaulted by an individual who identified him from the media attention.

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

“Should this be tolerated? Definitely not. But through my disclosure, these are the consequences.

“I hope 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 hostile communications have affected his mental health.

“It's disappointing because I am having to explain why I belong on the football field for my identity,” he states.

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

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

‘Top-tier athlete revealing orientation would create waves’

Cavallo's decision to reveal his sexuality helped prompt 17-year-old Blackpool forward Jake Daniels to come out as the UK's only openly gay playing soccer professional in spring 2022.

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

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

“But I'm not going to sugar-coat it. There are a lot of scary things that would come this person's way. Within soccer culture, being an openly gay player is a very toxic place.”

Twenty-seven years after Justin Fashanu - the UK's initial out soccer professional - died by suicide in 1998, Cavallo has spoken about the “harmful male culture” that persists in men's football.

“You just need to go to a game and see the unfriendly atmosphere and male-dominated culture that the audience creates,” he says.

“Much remains to be done to make sure there is a secure environment in football for people like myself and Jake.

“Progress has been limited (more players coming out) as much as we would like.

“My role is to continue advocating for what I think is right, and strive for taking out the toxic masculinity in football changing rooms and establishing secure environments.”

‘My mission is to drive progress’

The player says soccer has enabled discussions within team environments about revealing one's orientation.

However, he is disapproving toward Fifa, after the Middle Eastern nation, where homosexual partnerships are illegal, staged the global tournament in 2022.

Future World Cup is scheduled in another Gulf state, where same-sex attraction is similarly prohibited.

“Do I approve that the World Cup is in nations that ban gay unions, where people like me will be imprisoned for merely living on their territory? It's frightening,” says the athlete.

“I receive communications [from people living in these countries] saying ‘I face imprisonment for my identity - can you help me?’.

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

“There are countries that are significant soccer markets and they reject the queer community. These places that often focus on me.”

Despite this, Cavallo says he won't cease advocating.

“Soccer has enabled dialogue in the locker room. It lets me communicate and educate people who want to learn more.

“Some will disapprove for who you are. But I've discovered support. I have found my community.

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