Spanish pro footballer Alberto Lejárraga has publicly come out as part of the LGBTQ+ community.
On 25 April, the Marbella Fútbol Club was promoted to Spain’s fourth-tier league after beating Real Jean in a tense 1-0 match.
Following their massive promotion, the team’s goalkeeper Lejárraga took to Twitter to celebrate the exciting news by uploading an array of photos featuring his family and friends.
The heartfelt post also included two snapshots of him hugging and kissing his unnamed boyfriend – who’s shown wearing a Marbella FC jersey with Lejárraga’s name written on the back.
“Thank you so much for always being by my side, during the good and the bad. Now it’s our turn to live it up,” he wrote alongside two heart emojis.
Shortly after Lejárraga uploaded his heartwarming post, fans flocked to his mentions with congratulatory messages.
One person wrote: “I hope they come out more like Alberto Lejárraga and that it helps more footballers in the Spanish football closet to feel supported and live their lives normally. Congratulations!! May you be very happy.”
Another person tweeted: “Thank you, for being brave and not hiding and being free!!! THANK YOU.”
Muchas gracias por estar siempre a mi lado, en las buenas y en las no tan buenas! Esta vez nos tocó vivir lo bonito de esto! GRACIAS ❤️ ❤️ pic.twitter.com/gwsvZQztDW
— Alberto Lejárraga (@alberto_leja) April 25, 2023
La Liga, Spain’s top professional football division for men, also congratulated Lejárraga, writing: “Thank you Alberto, for inspiring us. Let’s continue building an increasingly diverse and tolerant football.”
Lejárraga joins a growing list of footballers who have recently come out as part of the LGBTQ+ community.
Back in February, Czech midfielder Jakub Jankto made history as the first active international player in men’s football to come out as gay.
“Like everybody else, I want to live my life with freedom, without fear, without violence, without prejudice, but with love.” he said in an emotional video on 13 February. “I am homosexual, and I no longer want to hide myself.”
On the UK front, Blackpool FC forward Jake Daniels made history in May 2022 when he became Britan’s first active openly gay male professional footballer since the late Justin Fashanu.
“For a long time, I’ve thought I would have to hide my truth because I wanted to be, and now I am, a professional footballer,” he told Sky Sports News.
“Since I’ve come out to my family, my club and my teammates, that period of overthinking everything and the stress it created has gone. It was impacting my mental health. Now I am just confident and happy to be myself finally.”
In addition to the aforementioned players, Scottish footballer Zander Murray and Australian football star Josh Cavallo have also made historic strides as the first openly gay players in their respective football leagues.
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