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“This is my message to everyone: we must be better. We must love more. Hate less. We must listen more and talk less” - Megan Rapinoe
In honor of Pride Month and to celebrate those who dare to be themselves, we present 10 of the most inspiring individuals in the world of football. In a sport where strength, skill, and determination define the game, sometimes it’s the courage to be authentic that truly sets players apart.
These 10 LGBTQIA+ football players have inspired us with their bravery, both on and off the field. These athletes excel in their sport while advocating for inclusion and acceptance, breaking barriers and paving the way for future generations. Their stories of resilience and pride remind us that being true to ourselves is the greatest victory of all.
Once again, os fans have had a positive impact on football by accepting players for who they are. So, let’s honor these footballers who had the strength to stand up for themselves and, in many cases, were strengthened by the support of their fans.
Top 10 Most Inspiring Queer Football Players
In 2006, journalist Simon Barnes wrote that homophobia in football was deeply rooted and would never change. Two years later, journalist Matt Williams stated that being a gay professional footballer was still taboo. Despite these opinions, several football players have chosen to come out and share who they are with the football world and fans. Discover the 10 athletes who inspire us every day.
Megan Rapinoe
(Came out in July 2012)
Megan Rapinoe is one of the pioneering openly gay football players and an Olympic champion in 2012. An LGBTQ+ activist and World Cup champion with the U.S. Women’s National Team, Rapinoe is known for her strong voice against social injustice. She knew she was a lesbian since her first year of college but only came out publicly in 2012. She was in a relationship with Australian player Sarah Walsh from 2009 to 2013. Rapinoe states: “No one should ever tell you what your limits are.”
Josh Cavallo
(Came out on October 27, 2021)
Josh Cavallo is an Australian professional footballer who plays as a left-back and central midfielder for Adelaide United. When he came out as gay, he became the only active male top-division professional footballer in the world to do so. He decided to stop living a double life and stated: “All I want is to play football and be treated equally,” with the full support of his teammates. After coming out, he received death threats but also immense love and support from the football world.
Since then, Cavallo has used his platform to fight for LGBTQ+ rights, particularly in sports, and challenges FIFA to accept LGBTQ+ players and fans. In March, he proposed to his boyfriend on the pitch, sharing the special moment where it all began.
Colin Martin
(Came out in June 2018)
Martin is a National Football League (NFL) player who became the first active professional player to come out as gay in 2018. His family, friends, and teammates already knew about his orientation. Martin believes that “Having role models in any workplace, in any life context, is important. The fact is that there aren’t enough professional athletes who are good role models for kids who are growing up and are gay.” He emphasizes that “People need to know that it doesn’t matter your sexual orientation, your age, your race. It doesn’t matter.” Martin embraces being a role model.
Richarlyson
(Came out in 2022)
Richarlyson is a former Brazilian professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder, left-back, and center-back. He is currently a commentator on SporTV. He came out as bisexual in 2022 during an interview on the podcast “Nos Armários dos Vestuários,” becoming the first male LGBTQ+ player to play for the Brazilian men’s national team.
Richarlyson argues that we should not label people, stating: “There’s a more important issue: people are dying. Brazil is the country that kills the most homosexuals.” He continues to fight against homophobia in Brazilian sports.
Kelley O'Hara
(Came out in July 2019)
Kelley O’Hara is an American professional footballer who came out publicly while celebrating the U.S. Women’s National Team’s World Cup victory by kissing her girlfriend. This moment, during the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup in France, was her way of coming out.
She believes that “It’s so important to be seen because if you don’t see it, you don’t know about it, you don’t understand it, you don’t relate to it.” O’Hara also highlights the unifying power of football, saying, “The landscape of football brings people together; you don’t need to speak the same language. It allows that connection; it’s the global game.”
Robbie Rogers
(Came out on February 15, 2013)
Robbie Rogers announced his retirement from professional football at 25 and came out as gay in 2013, becoming the first openly gay man to compete in a top-tier professional league in North America when he played for LA Galaxy that same year. After coming out, Rogers married writer, producer, and director Greg Berlanti on December 2, 2017. He now works as a producer.
Alba Redondo
Alba Redondo is a talented and inspiring Spanish professional footballer whose presence in the sport is a significant step for inclusion and diversity. During the 2023 World Cup, she shared photos with her girlfriend, Cristina Monleón, a university professor and fitness trainer. In January 2024, she was ranked 61st on The Guardian’s 2023 list of the 100 Best Female Footballers in the World.
Liam Davis
Liam Davis is a semi-professional footballer from England. In 2014, he became the most visible openly gay footballer in Britain, and on May 21, 2017, he became the first openly gay male footballer to play at Wembley. Despite the potential challenges of coming out, Davis never regretted his choice, stating, “My sexual orientation has never been difficult when I’m playing football. It’s just football. Ball, goal, game.”
Magdalena Eriksson
(Came out in 2019)
Magdalena Lilly Eriksson is a Swedish professional footballer who plays for Bayern Munich in the Frauen-Bundesliga and the Swedish national team. Chelsea recruited her, and a few years later, she became the captain of Chelsea FC Woman, where she met her teammate, Pernille Harder. When they became a couple, the team already knew, but when they kissed at the World Cup, the whole world found out. She stated in an interview, “We are role models, not just as footballers, but as us, as a couple.”.
Marcus Urban
(Came out in November 2007)
Marcus Urban was the first German professional footballer to come out. He played professionally in the 1980s and 1990s but ended his career with RW Erfurt in 1993 to avoid living in denial. Since then, Urban has been an advocate against homophobia in sports, working as a speaker and coach. He co-founded the organization Sports Free, an initiative advocating for greater visibility and acceptance of queer athletes in professional sports, which was initiated by Diversero, a global community promoting diversity and fighting bullying.
The path to inclusion and acceptance in football and society at large has been challenging, but the stories of these LGBTQIA+ players show us that the courage to be authentic can change the world. They have not only achieved great feats in their careers but have also paved the way for future generations, inspiring us to be ourselves and fight for a fairer and more equal world. Their journeys remind us that true victory lies in living with pride and integrity, both on and off the field.
In a world where being gay is still a crime and treated as a disease in some places, we want you to know that there is nothing wrong with you—the problem lies in society’s prejudices. At BYMS, we believe in all people and accept you as you are. We believe in love in all its shapes and sizes. Just know that you are not alone, and together we are stronger.
Above all, be yourself and have a wonderful Pride Month!