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Josh Cavallo

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Joshua John Cavallo (born 13 November 1999) is an Australian professional soccer player who plays as a left back and central midfielder for A-League Men club Adelaide United. Cavallo has represented the Australian under-20 national team.

Josh Cavallo
Cavallo with Adelaide United in 2021
Personal information
Full name Joshua John Cavallo
Date of birth (1999-11-13) 13 November 1999 (age 25)
Place of birth Bentleigh East, Victoria, Australia
Height 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)[1]
Position(s) Left back, central midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Adelaide United
Number 27
Youth career
Melbourne Victory
Melbourne City
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2017–2019 Melbourne City NPL 54 (6)
2019–2021 Western United 9 (0)
2021– Adelaide United 49 (0)
International career‡
2018 Australia U20 1 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 3 May 2024
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 23 March 2020

Early life

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Joshua John Cavallo[2] was born on 13 November 1999 in Bentleigh East, Victoria.[3] He is of Italian and Maltese descent.[4]

He says that he was initially more into playing tennis, but his brother encouraged him to kick a ball around in the backyard and it was not long before he "fell in love" with the game.[5]

Career

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Youth

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Cavallo with Melbourne Victory Youth in 2016

Cavallo was scouted by a national program at the age of 15, and later offered a scholarship by Melbourne Victory.[5] He represented both Melbourne Victory FC Youth and Melbourne City FC Youth.[6]

Western United

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On 15 April 2019, Melbourne City announced that Cavallo would leave the club at the expiration of his contract at the end of the 2018–19 season.[7]

On 24 June 2019, new A-League side Western United,[8] representing western Melbourne suburbs and western Victorian regional towns,[9] announced that Cavallo would join the club ahead of its inaugural season.[8] He made his debut on 3 January 2020 in a 3–2 loss at his previous club. On as a 71st-minute substitute for Apostolos Stamatelopoulos, he earned a penalty when fouled by goalkeeper Dean Bouzanis, which was converted by Besart Berisha.[10]

Western United announced that Cavallo was leaving the club on 10 February 2021[11] to seek more playing time with another A-League club.

Adelaide United

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On 18 February 2021, Cavallo signed a short-term contract to play for Adelaide United.[12] After a successful stint in the 2020–21 A-League, he signed a two-year contract extension on 11 May.[13] He was rewarded with Adelaide United's A-League Rising Star award after a successful 2020–21 campaign, in which he started 15 games and made 18 appearances.[14]

He plays as a left back and central midfielder for the club.[15]

National team

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Cavallo was in the Australian under-19 national team which played in the 2018 AFC U-19 Championship in October–November 2018, starting with a game against Korea Republic.[16]

Cavallo has represented the Australian under-20 national team.[17]

Cavallo said about the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar "If I represent Australia at the World Cup, and I'm giving it my all to make it, it would be an honour, but at the same time, the laws collide".[18]

Personal life

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He came out as gay in October 2021.[19][5] At the time, there were no other openly gay male footballers playing professional top-flight football. He said in a statement, "I hope that in sharing who I am, I can show others who identify as LGBTQ+ that they are welcome in the football community".[20] Cavallo said he had "never smiled so much in my life" and had "the best night's sleep" after his announcement.[21] He was fully and explicitly supported by Adelaide United management and fellow players.[22][23] The announcement was widely reported in the international press,[24] and Cavallo received messages of support from many football players, including Gerard Piqué, Marcus Rashford, Antoine Griezmann,[5] Jordan Henderson,[21] Gary Lineker,[5] and Lionel Messi, as well as fans, strangers, and celebrities such as Lil Nas X and Ellen DeGeneres.[22]

Cavallo was the first high-profile player to come out during their career since English footballer Justin Fashanu made a similar announcement in 1990. Fashanu faced widespread homophobia after the announcement.[22][a] In May 2022 English footballer Jake Daniels came out, aged 17, becoming the UK's only male professional footballer to be publicly out at the time, and the first since Fashanu.[27] He cited Cavallo among those who had helped him to come out.[28]

In March 2024, Cavallo proposed to his partner Leighton Morrell on the pitch at Coopers Stadium, Adelaide United's home ground.[29] He posted three photos on Instagram, one of which showed Morrell wearing an engagement ring, and thanked his club for their support and encouragement to live his life authentically.[30]

Recognition

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He won Adelaide United's Rising Star award for the 2020/2021 season.[5]

In 2022, Cavallo received an honorary doctorate from Flinders University in Adelaide, in recognition of "his exceptional contributions as a role model in elite men's sport and as a champion for equality".[31]

Cavallo was nominated as 2023 SA Young Australian of the Year.[31]

Career statistics

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As of match played 3 October 2024[1]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Cup Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Western United 2019–20 A-League 9 0 – 9 0
2020–21 A-League 0 0 – 0 0
Total 9 0 – 9 0
Adelaide United 2020–21 A-League 19 0 – 19 0
2021–22 A-League Men 19 0 3 0 22 0
2022–23 A-League Men 7 0 3 0 10 0
2023–24 A-League Men 4 0 0 0 4 0
Total 49 0 6 0 55 0
Career total 58 0 6 0 64 0

See also

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Footnotes

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  1. ^ Fashanu committed suicide eight years later, after fleeing to England following charges being laid in the U.S. that he sexually assaulted a 17-year-old boy, which he denied, saying that the sex had been consensual.[25][26]

References

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  1. ^ a b "J. Cavallo". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
  2. ^ "AFCS". stats.the-afc.com. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
  3. ^ "Josh Cavallo: what did Adelaide United football player say about coming out as gay - and support received". National World. 27 October 2021. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
  4. ^ "Maltese-Australian footballer Josh Cavallo comes out as gay". 27 October 2021.
  5. ^ a b c d e f Cavallo, Josh (14 November 2021). "Josh Cavallo: the world's only openly gay top-tier men's footballer" (audio + text). the Guardian (Interview). Interviewed by Safi, Michael. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
  6. ^ "Youth in Focus: Josh Cavallo". Melbourne City FC. 29 January 2018. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  7. ^ "Cavallo to depart at season's end". Melbourne City FC. 15 April 2019. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
  8. ^ a b Windon, Jacob (24 June 2019). "Signing news: Western United confirm double swoop". A-League.
  9. ^ "About us". Western United FC. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
  10. ^ Greco, John (3 January 2020). "Maclaren at the double as 10-man City hold off United fightback". Retrieved 27 October 2021.
  11. ^ "Josh Cavallo departs". Western United FC. 10 February 2021. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
  12. ^ "Reds sign Cavallo for remainder of the season". Adelaide United FC. 18 February 2021. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
  13. ^ "Reds extend Cavallo contract for two-years". A-League. 11 May 2021. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
  14. ^ "Waldus and Halloran claim 2021 Alagich Vidmar Awards". Adelaide United FC. 15 June 2021. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
  15. ^ "Joshua Cavallo". Adelaide United. 29 August 2017. Archived from the original on 12 November 2021. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  16. ^ "Update to Young Socceroos squad for AFC U19 Championship". Socceroos. 19 October 2018. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
  17. ^ "Australian Josh Cavallo becomes only openly gay male footballer in the pro game". The New York Times. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  18. ^ "Josh Cavallo: My dream is to play in Qatar, but I don't want to put my life in danger". Marca. 15 May 2024. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
  19. ^ "Josh Cavallo: 'I'm a footballer and I'm gay,' says Australian player". BBC News. 27 October 2021. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  20. ^ Kemp, Emma (27 October 2021). "'I have been fighting my sexuality': A-League player Josh Cavallo comes out as gay". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 27 October 2021. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
  21. ^ a b "Cavallo: 'I've never smiled this much'". The Senior. 28 October 2021. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
  22. ^ a b c Berrill, Sophie (22 August 2022). "Josh Cavallo: 'People don't have to get football to get my story'". Marketing Mag. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
  23. ^ "Adelaide United supports Josh's truth". Football Australia. 27 October 2021. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
  24. ^ "Australian footballer Josh Cavallo says he is gay in emotional social media post". BreakingNews.ie. 27 October 2021. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
  25. ^ "Fashanu 'may have fled US'". BBC News. 2 May 1998. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
  26. ^ "Justin Fashanu found hanged in lock-up garage". The Independent. 4 May 1998. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
  27. ^ "Jake Daniels: Blackpool forward becomes UK's first active male professional footballer to come out publicly as gay". Sky Sports. 16 May 2022. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
  28. ^ Storey, Daniel (16 May 2022). "Jake Daniels coming out as gay is a beautiful moment that could change British football forever". i News. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
  29. ^ "Trailblazer Cavallo gets engaged on Adelaide Utd pitch". BBC Sport. 13 March 2024. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
  30. ^ "Starting this year with my fiancé..." Instagram. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
  31. ^ a b "Josh Cavallo". Australian of the Year. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
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