THE MORE THINGS CHANGE the more they stay the same, goes the saying. And if you scroll through the comments section of any of Josh Cavallo’s Instagram posts, you’ll find it difficult to disagree.
On October 27th, it will be three years to the day since Cavallo publicly announced his sexuality. While he was initially inundated by messages of support, even today, the act is earning him a steady stream of vitriolic comments on social media. “I’ve had to build thick skin since coming out,” Cavallo tells Men’s Health in a chat during Adelaide United’s preseason training.
While LGBTQ+ players make up a significant portion of the Australian women’s national team – and women’s professional leagues at large – the same cannot be said about the men’s game. In addition to Cavallo, Czech international Jakub Jankto and Ivorian striker Richard Kone are the only other openly gay men’s footballers currently playing at the professional level.
It’s an exclusive club, and new admissions are infrequent at best, as the footballing world struggles to become more accepting of the LGBTQ+ community. By now, Cavallo has come to accept that progress will be slow, but he admits that he expected the trickle started by his announcement to be closer to a deluge by now. “It’s not really expanding at the speed I thought it would, and it’s definitely still struggling in some strategic areas,” he says. “As a professional footballer, I’m still very alone when it comes to having gay representation.”
In the post Cavallo made to Instagram announcing his sexuality back in 2021, he wrote that he previously “had to mask my feelings to fit the mould of a professional footballer” and that “growing up, being gay and playing football were two paths that hadn’t crossed before”. Three years on, he believes the landscape is changing, but still has a long way to go. He points to the mixed reception of his coming out post, and many posts since, as evidence of this.
“It’s quite disappointing to still see backlash and hatred online. Football is the most popular sport in the world, and a lot of football fans come from countries where being gay isn’t socially or legally acceptable, so it’s to be expected,” Cavallo says. “But as a result, I now have a world of people who do support me and are wishing me well and we’re fighting in this together.”
To continue building inclusivity of the LGBTQ+ community in football, Cavallo accepts that he needs to continue to inhabit the spotlight, as one of the few openly gay players in men’s professional football. While he’s downbeat about the likelihood of enacting swift change, Cavallo is taking this role in his stride. “I can’t tell you that I’m going to be the person to change everything, but I’ll put my best foot forward and give it all I’ve got,” he says.
INSTAGRAM | @joshua.cavallo
Improving LGBTQ+ acceptance in football begins with visibility, according to Cavallo. In this space, brand ambassadorships, campaigns and magazine covers (like our very own from 2022) are useful. These opportunities haven’t been hard to come by for Cavallo, who boasts a social media following that numbers over one million and a smouldering gaze that naturally befits a man that frequently appears on billboards.
Most recently, Cavallo appeared in a campaign for Ralph Lauren’s new Polo 67, a bold and bright fragrance with a heart of pineapple accord that has since become his go-to scent. “I really enjoyed being a part of this campaign, and the fragrance itself is incredible,” he says. “I usually have a steady fragrance rotation, but Polo 67 just shocked me and it’s now my regular scent.”
Of course, as well as his many endorsements, it’s important for Cavallo to have ‘boots on the ground’, so to speak and be able to turn out regularly for his club. Unfortunately, that’s an area Cavallo has struggled with over the past few years. When he came out, Cavallo was a regular member of Adelaide United’s first team lineup, making 19 appearances across the 2021/22 A-League season. But midway through the 2022/23 season, Cavallo ruptured his Achilles tendon, putting him out of action for 11 months. “I basically spent the whole year off, training to come back,” he says. “It’s like going to work every day and not being able to do your job.”
Returning to the Adelaide squad in January of 2024, Cavallo only managed to appear in four games before the injury plague struck again. This time, it was a rupture in his quad muscle, putting him back on the sidelines for another six months. “It can be very disheartening,” he says. “Football’s fantastic when you’re playing, but when you have setbacks like what I’ve had, it does test you.”
Cavallo spent the majority of his time off rehabbing and consulting with his club’s medical team on the best way to get back on the field. This process, he says, was made easier by his experience in the professional system and ultimately made him stronger. “I was 16 when I got my first professional contract, so I’ve been in this environment for a long time. I’ve got the right foundation and tools to look after myself, but it is very difficult to stay motivated and you just have to have a strong mindset. Coming into this new season, I’m feeling really strong, healthy and confident. I’m ready to go.”
This season is make or break for Cavallo’s team. Adelaide is in the second year of a major rebuild after their talismanic captain and Socceroos star Craig Goodwin departed before the start of last season, causing a skid down the A-League ladder from third to eighth in the space of a single season. Now, promising youngster Nestory Irankunda has left for Bayern Munich, while the previous season’s leading goalscorer, Hiroshi Ibusuki, was not retained after a breakout year.
Put simply, the squad has been gutted. Cavallo is one of the few holdouts left to pick up the pieces. Despite this, the 24-year-old is confident that Adelaide will be playing finals football sooner rather than later. “Walking into this preseason, we have had a makeover and a shift of talent and it’s looking really good,” he says. “In our Australia Cup games, we’ve gone out and shown how we want to play this year and I think that playstyle can carry us back into the finals.”
One benefit of Adelaide’s now depleted roster is that it could result in a larger – or at least more varied – role for Cavallo. In the past, the midfielder has been praised for his versatility, able to be deployed as a fullback in defence, as a playmaker in midfield, or as a pacey winger. Moving forward, however, he makes it clear that he does have a preferred position. “Naturally I’m an attacking midfielder who plays the role of a 10. I do understand that I’ll be used wherever needed, but that’s where I prefer to play,” he says. “It doesn’t really bother me what position I’m in though. I’m a midfielder, sure, but you’ll probably see me at left back, left wing and in defensive and attacking midfield.”
Regardless of where he sits on the pitch, Cavallo looks well positioned to move into a larger role after an impressive preseason showing where, at one stage, he scored a goal in three consecutive games. But, if he wants to maintain his position as the North star for the LGBTQ+ community in football, he will have to work for it.
This year is the last in the four-year contract Cavallo signed with Adelaide United in 2021. Like any player on an expiring contract, his future with the team isn’t guaranteed. “We’ll be working closely with Adelaide and seeing what is on the table,” he says. “But yeah, Adelaide is my home away from home. When I moved here, I was just a boy and in the time since I feel like I’ve become a man.”
Assuredly, Cavallo has been putting in the work. After spending the majority of the past two seasons on the sideline, he’s has been pushing himself to improve his skillset, hoping it will translate to more time on the field and ultimately, more of that all-important visibility. And while he understands that a club switch could be on the cards, if it were up to him, Cavallo wouldn’t be going anywhere. “I’ve enjoyed every bit of these past four seasons,” he says. “I will be looking to stay here.”
Related:
COVER STORY: Josh Cavallo on why he decided the time had come to show his true colours
‘All men need brave leaders like Josh Cavallo to inspire self-confidence’
