This season, Jakub Jankto, the Czech Republic midfielder, is playing for Sparta Prague on loan from Spanish club Getafe. In a bold move, Jankto announced in a video on social media that he is gay, becoming one of the most high-profile male soccer players to come out. He shared the video on Twitter, stating, “I’m homosexual. And I no longer want to hide myself.”
Jankto, 27, has previously played for Italian clubs Sampdoria and Udinese. He has also represented the Czech national team with 45 appearances, scoring four goals and assisting in 13. In his video, he expressed his desire to live freely and without fear, violence, or prejudice, but with love.
Sparta Prague’s official Twitter account retweeted Jankto’s video, offering their support, stating, “Live your life, Jakub.” Getafe also showed their support on Twitter, saying, “Our utmost respect and unconditional support to our player Jakub Jankto.”
Neymar, the Brazilian forward for Paris Saint-Germain, was asked about the video and expressed his support. He stated, “It’s an important day. I think each person should be free, I don’t have any problem with this… Every human being should be free to be who they want.”
The Czech national team released a statement, saying, “Nothing is changing for us.” The Premier League also showed their solidarity, commenting, “We’re with you, Jakub. Football is for everyone.”
Jankto, who has a three-year-old son named David with his former partner Marketa, broke up with her in 2021. While there are numerous prominent LGBTQ players in women’s soccer, it is still rare for professional male players to openly come out as gay.
Josh Cavallo, who plays for Adelaide United in Australia, became the only openly gay player in a top men’s league when he came out in 2021. Last year, Jake Daniels of English second-division club Blackpool became the first active male professional soccer player in Britain to publicly reveal his homosexuality.
