Following on from Josh Cavallo in Australia and Jake Daniels of Blackpool, La Liga now has its first openly homosexual footballer, albeit on loan.
Relevo revealed in a video with Getafe midfielder Jakub Jankto that the Czech player, currently on loan in his home country at Sparta Prague, is homosexual.
In a short video, Jankto announced the following.
“Like everyone; I have my strengths. I have my weaknesses. I have a family. I have my friends. I have a job that I do the best I can, for years, with seriousness, professionalism and passion. Like everyone, I also want to live my life in freedom. Without fear. Without prejudice. Without violence. But with love. I am homosexual and I no longer want to hide.”
Estamos muy orgullosos de ti, Jankto. ❤️🩹
💬 "Quiero vivir mi vida en libertad. Soy homosexual y no quiero esconderme".
El jugador del Sparta Praga y perteneciente al Getafe anuncia en sus redes sociales que es gay.
✍🏻 @MatteMoretto
➕ℹ️ https://t.co/yeWEEsOBDZ pic.twitter.com/3HuZvTjIpw— Relevo (@relevo) February 13, 2023
Jankto joined Getafe in 2021 for €6m, making 15 appearances before he left for Prague again. He arrived from Udinese, but injuries prevented him from winning a place in the side at Getafe.
The 27-year-old, father of one, has won 40 caps for the Czech Republic, and Relevo say that he aims to play in Major League Soccer some day.
It represents a major step forward for Spanish football, which until now has seen relatively small moves towards to equal rights and treatment for the LGBTQIA+ community.
Following Cavallo’s announcement last year, several major figures in Spanish football backed Cavallo, including Gerard Pique. Jankto is the third active footballer to come out after Daniels and Cavallo.
