Czech Republic midfielder Jakub Jankto posted a video on social media on Monday saying he is gay, making him one of the most high-profile male football players to come out. (More Football News)
Jankto posted a video on Twitter saying: “I'm ho෴mosexual. And I ✱no longer want to hide myself.”
The 🧸27-year-old Jankto is playing for Sparta Prague this season on loan from Spanish club Getafe. He has previously played for I💫talian clubs Sampdoria and Udinese and has made 45 appearances for the Czech national team, scoring four goals and setting up 13 more.
“Li🔥ke everyone else, I want to live my life with freedom, without fear, without violence, withou🥂t prejudice, but with love,” Jankto says in the video.
Sparta Prague's official Twit😼ter account retwee🌺ted the video and said “you have our support.”
“Live your life, Jakub,” the club added.
Getafe ꦅalso posted a message on Twitter, saying: “Our utmost respect and unconditional s🗹upport to our player Jakub Jankto."
The Czech national team said “nothin🌃g is changing for us."
The Premier League respo𓃲nded to Jankto's video with a comment saying: &q🐼uot;We're with you, Jakub. Football is for everyone."
Jankto has a 3-year-old son, David, with h𓆏is partner Marketa. Their relationship ended in 202✨1.
While women's football features many prominent LGBTQ+ players, i🐟t's still rare for professional male players to come out publicly as gay.
Josh Cava🤪llo, who plays for Adelaide United in Australia, became the only openly gay player in a top m🥃en's league when he came out in 2021.
Last year, Jake Daniels of English second-division club Blackpool became the first active male professional football player in Britain to publicly say he's𒉰 gay.
