Josh Cavallo came out publicly this week, becoming the first gay player in Australia’s A-League to do so.

He talked about the fear he had of coming out, and also the support he’s received from teammates and others around him. That support has now stretched around the world, with some of the biggest names in professional soccer voicing their support.

After seeing the worldwide support, Cavallo said something we at Outsports have been preaching for many years:

“It makes me realize, why have i been hiding [behind] a lie for so long in my life.”

It’s the line we hear over and over and over and over and over again at Outsports, and have for years. When people come out, they realize all the messages of mandatory, widespread fear they’ve been told to buy into have been false.

Professional football players and coaches from around the world have taken to social media to share their support for Cavallo. A small sampling:

Plus, some of the biggest soccer clubs in the world have shared their strong support for Cavallo and his public declaration that he’s gay:

FC Barcelona, La Liga, Spain

Arsenal FC, Premier League, England

Liverpool FC, Premier League, England

Borussia Dortmund, Bundesliga, Germany

And many more, including:

Major League Soccer, United States & Canada

A-League, Australia

Premier League, England

Bundesliga, Germany

Serie A, Italy

La Liga, Spain

Note that this is not an exhaustive list but just a sampling of perusals on Twitter.

The Premier League itself also shared a message of widespread support across the league:

The days of gay athletes feeling like they will not get support if they come out publicly should be over for people across much of the world. As our Out In Sports study proved — and will continue to prove — athletes and coaches are far more accepting than we’ve given them credit for years.

Cavallo and people across sports are proving just that.