Jakub Jankto, the Sparta Prague midfielder, has become the first current international in men’s football to publicly come out as gay, posting the announcement on Twitter on Monday. Jankto, who is on loan from Spanish side Getafe and has scored four goals in 45 appearances, said that he no longer wants to hide and that he wants to live his life without prejudice, without violence but with love. Adelaide United player Josh Cavallo was the only current openly gay top-flight male professional footballer in the world before Jankto publicly came out, having come out in October 2021.
Jankto made his senior debut for the Czech Republic in 2017 and has since impressed many with his skills on the field. The Sparta Prague midfielder spent the majority of his club career in Italy with Udinese, Ascoli, and Sampdoria before signing for Spanish side Getafe in 2021. Since joining Sparta Prague on loan in August, Jankto has made ten league appearances, scoring once and providing one assist.
Former Aston Villa and Germany midfielder Thomas Hitzlsperger, who came out in January 2014, a few months after retiring because of injury problems, praised Jankto for his bravery. Blackpool’s Jake Daniels was the first professional player in the UK men’s game for more than 30 years to come out while still playing, and prior to Daniels, Justin Fashanu was the last active men’s professional footballer in the UK to come out during his playing career, featuring for clubs in England and Scotland after announcing in October 1990 that he was gay.