“My lawyer advised me not to reveal my identity, and asked me not to talk about the matter; “I wish I had done it sooner.”

Thomas Hitzlsperger He is the only German footballer, to date, who has publicly revealed that he is gay. The UEFA Euro 2008 runner-up will be one of the stars of the documentary “The Last Taboo” which will address the issue of homosexuality in sport.

The former player, now 41 years old, reviews in Bild newspaper his experience after coming out of the closet and explains the reasons for making his private life public.

It is worth remembering that Hitzlsperger He admitted his sexual preference when he ended his career, a brave decision like few others he admits he made with great concern. “I want to show others that an experience like this is not necessarily as bad as one might think. At the time I was also worried about how my life would change as a result of the move. But I realized that this was almost unfounded. That is why I have since wanted to encourage others.

He thinks about the reasons he waited until retirement to come out as gay. “I needed time to be confident enough to handle that attention. It's not that I didn't want to do it before. I was curious to know what it would be like to get back into the dressing room or get on the field for the first time after that,” he recalls. “Who knows if I wouldn't have done some damage if I had followed my first impulse in 2012,” he said.

That was in 2012, when he was a member of Wolfsburg, who was about to publicly admit his homosexuality, but was turned away by the lawyer's advice: “Do not talk about it under any circumstances!” He did so when he went to ask him if he should reveal it and an hour later he left thinking “I won't say anything more.” A story that ends with a confession: “The lawyer advised me not to reveal my identity.”

to Hitzlsperger Homosexuality in sport remains a taboo topic: “Yes, I think so. There is talk about it, but players don't identify themselves that way. It's taboo on the field and in the locker room, because in Germany there is no known gay footballer.” .

And although society is more respectful of each person's sexual orientation, he admits that when “it comes to the main actors, the players, there is a problem. There are seven known gay professionals in the entire business. That's a bit small.” “It's always said: when will he come out First active player in a top five league with this?

The German remembered the Czech player Jacob JanktoWho plays in the Italian League with Cagliari He is also the hero of the novel “The Last Taboo”.

“He posted a video last year and has rarely commented on the topic since. The message has already gotten through, but all he wants to do is play football. That's the way things are, no one is obligated to give out information all the time. As for “For possible concerns, I can only guess what was going through my mind at the time.”