Openly gay football star Jakub Jankto is hanging up his cleats.
Over the last few months, fans have speculated that the 29-year-old athlete may have left the sport due to his absence from the 2024-2025 season and the expiration of his contract with Italian Serie A club Cagliari Calcio in June.
On Thursday (21 August), the 29-year-old player took to his Instagram story to address the whispers, confirming that he had indeed retired due to suffering a serious injury.
“I’ve received too many messages [about whether I’m] continuing in football career. Unfortunately, I don’t. The reason is simple. I suffered a very serious injury (completely damaged ligaments in my ankle). I was trying to overcome it, to get through the whole year,” he revealed.
Jankto went on to add that his wish to spend more time with his son, whom he shares with his ex-wife, Markéta Ottomanská, was another factor in his decision.
“I wanted to change this situation cause we have just one family and I wanted to be close to my son in Prague. That’s why I decided to move [to] Prague,” he continued. “Thank you all the people who supported me. I appreciate it.”
Jankto’s retirement message comes two years after he came out as gay, which made him the first current international player in men’s football to identify as such at the time.
View this post on Instagram
“Like everybody else, I have my strengths, I have my weaknesses, I have a family, I have my friends,” he said in a viral video.
“I have a job that I have been doing as best as I can for years with seriousness, with professionalism and passion.”
The athlete further explained that he wants to live his life “in freedom without fears, without prejudice, without violence but with love” just like “everybody else”.
“I am homosexual and I no longer want to hide myself,” he continued.
A few months later, Jankto provided further insight into his coming-out journey during an interview with BBC Sport, revealing that he first started to feel “different” around the age of 13 or 14.
“As a kid, you don’t think too much about it. But when I tried my first relationship with a girlfriend, it wasn’t like it was with a boy, you know?” he explained.
View this post on Instagram
“And then when I got into professional football teams, being gay was still seen as ‘not normal,’ and football is still a little bit homophobic, I think.”
“So I was scared when I was 18 or 19 and next to other guys and couldn’t open messages on WhatsApp, because I always had the fear that someone might see a message or a photo from a guy.”
Jankto went on to credit his desire to become a better football player as the reason behind his coming out.
“Playing professional football is a dream of mine, and I’m always searching for ways to get better. And coming out is what I needed to do to get better,” he continued.
“I also thought to myself: ‘Well, look, Jakub, you are a professional footballer, but you have your life that you have to live like you want.’ And for me, that was fundamental.”
Latest
