Thomas Hzlsperger: Former Aston Villa player reveals he is gay - BBC Sport

thomas hitzlsperger gay

Former Aston Villa, Wt Ham and Everton midfielr Thomas Hzlsperger announc a newspaper that he is gay.

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THOMAS HZLSPERGER: FORMER ASTON VILLA PLAYER REVEALS HE IS GAY

<p>Former Premier League footballer and German ternatnal talks to <strong>Raphael Honigste</strong> about how he wanted to tell the world he was gay while he was still playg Germany for Wolfsburg, but was advised agast </p> * thomas hitzlsperger gay *

In the morng he had bee the hight-profile footballer to announce he is gay, and the hours afterwards he had not checked the public reactn. " The prime mister, as turns out, would soon add his voice to a raft of high-profile well-wishers that clud Angela Merkel, the German natnal team manager Joachim Löw, and the former German foreign mister Guido Wterwelle, who is also all talked about the former Aston Villa, Wt Ham and Everton midfielr's "urage" breakg one of sport's last great taboos: Hzlsperger, pped 52 tim by his untry, is the first German footballer to reveal he is gay. Where I e om, ral Bavaria, homosexualy is nsired 'un-normal'.

Photograph: Peter Kneffel/EPAWhile Germany as a untry has noticeably bee more and more relaxed about homosexualy recent years, he had also noted there was an unhelpful media obssn wh fdg the first gay footballer. All sorts of well-tend but ultimately unhelpful terventns om heterosexual players – who eher oped that gay players would benef om g out or utned agast – did not exactly fill him wh nfince that this was ed the right step.

THOMAS HZLSPERGER ANNOUNC HE IS GAY NEWSPAPER TERVIEW

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Homosexualy was rarely a big topic any of the drsg rooms he enuntered, he says, and "the subject only me up when people were speculatg about someone else's sexualy, but never their prence.

"There was the odd cince of crass homophobia, as well, "but that was jt your general, non-specific football talk, " says Hzlsperger. "I too, ed rogatory terms like 'what a gay pass' whout thkg about when I was younger. "But the important thg for me is to show that beg homosexual and profsnal football player is somethg that is normal.

THOMAS HZLSPERGER DISCS HIGH-PROFILE G OUT AS GAY

<p>Thomas Hzlsperger has bee the most high-profile footballer to e out, announcg on Wednday that he is gay</p> * thomas hitzlsperger gay *

The perceived ntradictn between playg football, the man's game, and beg homosexual is nonsense. I scerely hope that we'll see the when nobody mentns urage the circumstanc anymore, bee will be seen as totally normal that a sports person will speak about his homosexualy, the way others talk about their wiv and girliends. When the chancellor out your favour, you know that 's safe beg homosexual this untry, that you won't be discrimated.

Former Aston Villa midfielr Thomas Hzlsperger has revealed he is gay. External-lkHe is the most proment footballer to publicly reveal his homosexualy and said was "a good time" to do so.

THOMAS HZSPERGER CLAR HE IS GAY

German midfielr Thomas Hzlsperger beme the hight-profile gay player men's football when he me out. Now he reflects on his cisn wh ESPN. * thomas hitzlsperger gay *

"I'm g out about my homosexualy bee I want to move the discsn about homosexualy among profsnal sportspeople forwards, " he midfielr, who retired om the sport September after a seri of jury problems, said he has only realised " the past few years" that he would "prefer to live together wh another man", addg: "I've never been ashamed of the way I am. "Jt picture 20 men sat around a table together drkg - you've jt got to let the majory be, jt as long as the jok are halfway funny and the talk about homosexualy don't get too sultg, " he athlet om other sports have openly discsed their sexualy recent years, wh Olympic diver Tom Daley revealg December he was a relatnship wh a exampl football are few and far between. In 1990, former England Unr-21 ternatnal Jt Fashanu was the first profsnal footballer Bra to reveal he was gay.

In Febary 2013, former Uned Stat and Leeds Uned wger Robbie Rogers said he was gay while Swedish footballer Anton Hysen, son of former Liverpool player Glenn Hysen, announced his homosexualy an terview wh a Swedish football magaze 2011.

THOMAS HZLSPERGER NVERSA SOBRE SU SALIDA L CLóSET ALTO PERFIL O HOMBRE GAY

<p>Thomas Hzlsperger, the former Aston Villa, Wt Ham and Everton player, who has announced he is gay, had a thunro shot and sred the cisive goal as Stuttgart won the tle 2007</p> * thomas hitzlsperger gay *

"Retired basketball star John Amaechi, 43, the first NBA player to e out as gay, doubts other footballers will follow Hzlsperger, tellg BBC Sport "football is toxic" and s culture mt change. "Every sports star who is willg to speak out mak jt that ltle b easier for gay players and fans, and we hope, a new generatn of footballers will feel nfint enough to be themselv.

"The Gay Football Supporters' Network said: "It shows that we are movg one step closer to creatg that atmosphere football where players at all levels would be able to e out should they want to, safely and ee om discrimatn. Thomas Hzlsperger has bee the most high-profile footballer to e out, announcg on Wednday that he is gay.

The former Aston Villa, Wt Ham and Everton player has given a long terview to the German paper Die Ze, which he says that he is talkg about his sexualy bee he wants "to further the bate about homosexualy among sports profsnals". "It's been a long and difficult procs" [of beg aware of beg gay].

THOMASHZLSPERGERSEND MAILNEWSSPOXTHOMAS HZLSPERGER TERVIEWED: "ALMOST NO ONE R WHAT HAPPENS QATAR ANYMORE".READ ARTICLEDFBHZLSPERGER: „DER FUßBALL IST FüR ALLE DA"READ ARTICLETHE GUARDIANTHANKS TO THOMAS HZLSPERGER, YOUNG GAY ATHLET KNOW THEY'RE NOT ALONEREAD THOMAS HZLSPERGER: „WIO HABEN SICH IMMER NOCH SO WENIGE EX-FUßBALLER GEOUTET?“READ ARTICLESHOW ALLREFERENCVOLUNTARY ACTIVISTUTTGARTER KöPFE 2022 - TALK WH THOMAS HZLSPERGERAUGT 21, 2021SüDUTSCHE ZEUNGMAY 10, 2019AOK BAN WüRTTEMBERGJULY 22, 2016ALLIANZ GLOBAL INVTORS04 JANUARY 2014MCKSEYOCTOBER 26, 2020DFB AMBASSADOR FOR DIVERSYMAY 30, 2017JURY 11FREUNDE 03 JUNE 2021JURY FOR THE BAVARIAN SPORTS AWARDMAY 14, 2019ALL REFERENCORR OF MER OF THE FERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY (2020)DJK ETHICS AWARD (2015)JULI HIRSCH HONORARY AWARD (2011)AWARDSTHOMAS HZLSPERGERYOU WANT TO WORK WH ME?I AM YOUR EXPERT ON THE TOPICS OF SOCCER AND DIVERSY. WHETHER AS A SPEAKER, TV GUT OR THE FACE OF YOUR MPAIGN, SIMPLY NTACT ME BY MAIL AT OR VIA MY SOCIAL CHANNELS.SEND MAIL"MORN FOOTBALL IS NOT A HABAT FOR THE OUTDATED AND PEOPLE WH DTY PREJUDIC."333 GAM | 46 GOALSVICE EUROPEAN CHAMPN 2008 | GERMAN CHAMPN 2006/07WORLD CUP BRONZE MEDALIST 2006 | CONFED CUP BRONZE MEDALIST 2005VFB FORSTNG1988 - 1989FC BAYERN MUNICH1989 - 2000ASTON VILLA2000 - 2001FC CHTERFIELD2001ASTON VILLA2001 - 2005VFB STUTTGART2005 - 2010LAZ ROME2010WT HAM UNED2010 - 2011VFL WOLFSBURG2011 - 2012EVERTON FC2012 - 2013PYRIGHT: WPSTEHEISSERIMPRTPRIVACYTHOMAS HZLSPERGERTHE DIVERSY AMBASSADORTHE EXPERTTHE FOOTBALLERCONTACT THE DIVERSY AMBASSADORTHE EXPERTTHE FOOTBALLERCONTACT NEWSSPOXTHOMAS HZLSPERGER TERVIEWED: "ALMOST NO ONE R WHAT HAPPENS QATAR ANYMORE".READ ARTICLEDFBHZLSPERGER: „DER FUßBALL IST FüR ALLE DA"READ ARTICLETHE GUARDIANTHANKS TO THOMAS HZLSPERGER, YOUNG GAY ATHLET KNOW THEY'RE NOT ALONEREAD THOMAS HZLSPERGER: „WIO HABEN SICH IMMER NOCH SO WENIGE EX-FUßBALLER GEOUTET?“READ ARTICLESHOW ALLREFERENCSTUTTGARTER KöPFE 2022 - TALK WH THOMAS HZLSPERGERAUGT 21, 2021SüDUTSCHE ZEUNGMAY 10, 2019AOK BAN WüRTTEMBERGJULY 22, 2016ALLIANZ GLOBAL INVTORS04 JANUARY 2014MCKSEYOCTOBER 26, 2020VOLUNTARY ACTIVIDFB AMBASSADOR FOR DIVERSYMAY 30, 2017JURY 11FREUNDE 03 JUNE 2021JURY FOR THE BAVARIAN SPORTS AWARDMAY 14, 2019ALL REFERENCAWARDSORR OF MER OF THE FERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY (2020)DJK ETHICS AWARD (2015)JULI HIRSCH HONORARY AWARD (2011)THOMAS HZLSPERGER

Hzlsperger se nvirtió en el futbolista masculo mayor perfil en salir l clóset y revelarse o hombre gay. Conversó en excliva n ESPN sobre su cisión salir l armar hace nueve años. * thomas hitzlsperger gay *

"In England, Italy and Germany beg a homosexual is no big thg, at least not the drsg room, " he said, before addg: "I was never ashamed of beg who I am but was not always easy to s on a table wh 20 young men and listen to jok about gays.

THOMAS HZLSPERGER BE FIRST HIGH-PROFILE GAY FOOTBALLER

"Beg gay is topic that is 'ignored' football and not 'a ser topic the changg room'. Fightg spir, passn and wng mentaly are trsilly lked, that don't f the cliché: 'Gays are soft'" year, the former Leeds Uned player Robbie Rogers me out, tellg the world about his sexualy a statement on his webse.

8, 2014, he beme the hight-profile male footballer at the time to e out as gay.

THANKS TO THOMAS HZLSPERGER, YOUNG GAY ATHLET KNOW THEY'RE NOT ALONE

He also talks about the spiratnal stori of fellow gay athlet Josh Cavallo and Jake Daniels, but also the work still need to make the sport a more clive place and the support offered to LGBTQIA+ athlet.

)play1:10Mart Aste: Insi 'The Bicycle Diari' terview wh Thomas HzlspergerMart Aste explas the storytellg ncept known as "The Bicycle Diari" and what he hop viewers take away om his terview wh Thomas cisn to e out and how was receivedESPN: In 2014, Thomas, you were the first men's player to e out as gay. But towards the end of my reer, was clear to me that I'm gay, and I've got to face : I n't hi. What if some of my teammat are unfortable wh the fact that they have a gay teammate?

In the past, I heard players jt, oh, no, if there's a gay player, they shouldn't e out, 's too difficult for them.

EX-GERMANY MIDFIELR THOMAS HZLSPERGER SAYS HE'S GAY

I see there's a better unrstandg wh football clubs that beg gay is accepted. You have more gay people workg clubs -- not players, but workg for the clubs.

But men's football, there is a lot of attentn and a lot of money volved, and I thk brgs out the worst people at beg gay, you n choose whether you tell people or you don't. And that's why beg gay sometim is an advantage and a disadvantage at the same time.

I've benefed om beg openly gay. You're gay, you got to face . "Someone sulted me on social media recently g homophobic language, but jt don't touch me any more.

*BEAR-MAGAZINE.COM* THOMAS HITZLSPERGER GAY

Thomas Hzlsperger be first high-profile gay footballer | CNN .

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