‘Tom Daley made me feel like I was not alone’: German footballer says diver’s same-sex relationship helped him come out
- Thomas Hitzlsperger says he had read about Tom Daley’s announcement
- Footballer was also inspired by Gareth Thomas and John Amaechi
- Says he wants to help other footballers who may be in his shoes
- 31-year-old ended playing career in September due to persistent injuries
- German midfielder played for Aston Villa, West Ham United and Everton
- Used to live with fiancée Inga Totzauer but split up with her in June 2007
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German football star Thomas Hitzlsperger has said diver Tom Daley’s acknowledgement that he was in a same-sex relationship helped him to come out publicly as gay.
The 31-year-old German international midfielder yesterday became the first Premier League star to reveal he was homosexual, saying that he had recently accepted that he ‘preferred men’.
Hitzlsperger, who ended his playing career in September due to persistent injuries, said that other sportsmen’s revelations about their sexual orientation, including those of Tom Daley, had made him feel that he was not alone.
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Inspiration: German football star Thomas Hitzlsperger (right) has said that diver Tom Daley’s YouTube acknowledgement that he was in a same-sex relationship (left) helped him to come out
Last month the 19-year-old Olympian revealed in a video posted on YouTube that he was in a relationship with a man, later revealed to be screenwriter Dustin Lance Black.
Daley, who won bronze in the men’s 10 metre platform competition at the London 2012 Olympics, had said: ‘Come spring this year my life changed massively when I met someone and they made me feel so happy, so safe and everything just feels great – and that someone is a guy.
‘Of course I still fancy girls but right now I’m dating a guy and I couldn’t be happier.’
The former Aston Villa, West Ham and Everton player said he had also felt empowered by Welsh rugby player Gareth Thomas, who publically announced he was gay in 2009, and John Amaechi, who became the first NBA (National Basketball Association) player to speak out about his homosexuality.
Big moment: The 31-year-old footballer ended his playing career in September due to persistent injuries
Announcement: Last month 19-year-old Olympian Tom Daley revealed in a video posted on YouTube that he was in a relationship with a man, later revealed to be screenwriter Dustin Lance Black
Justin Fashanu was the first professional footballer in Britain to come out in 1990 before he took his own life eight years later, aged 37. But he never played in the Premier League, which began in 1992.
Hitzlsperger said that he was also encouraged by former Leeds United and US winger Robbie Rogers announced he was gay last year, and hoped that he too might be able to encourage other footballers to do the same.
‘I read about John Amaechi, Gareth Thomas and Tom Daley,’ Hitzlsperger told The Guardian newspaper.
‘They weren’t footballers but the fact that they went public gave me the feeling that I was not alone. I began to think that I could help other footballers who might be in the same shoes, so that they could see that here’s someone who was even an international.’
Empowered: Hitzlsperger said he had read about rugby player Gareth Thomas (left), who announced he was gay in 2009, and basketball player John Amaechi (right), who was the first NBA star to come out publically
Another announcement: Former Leeds United and US winger Robbie Rogers said he was gay last year
Early death: Former England Under-21 international Justin Fashanu was the first professional footballer in Britain to come out in 1990 before he took his own life eight years later, aged 37
Hitzlsperger, who was capped 52 times by his country, said he had considered coming out while playing for German side Wolfsburg in 2011-12, but had been warned not to.
He had said that he had only realised ‘in the past few years’ that he would ‘prefer to live together with another man’, and in 2007 had been due to marry his childhood sweetheart Inga Totzauer, only for the pair to break up a month before their wedding.
The footballer said team-mates eventually stopped asking about his lack of a girlfriend, and that he had not had to lie about his sexuality.
But he said that he had found the decision to make his sexuality public had been a difficult one to make, and added that he had the ‘total support’ of his family.
Star: Thomas Hitzlsperger in action for Germany (left) and Aston Villa (right)
The former international, who played in the 2006 World Cup and the 2008 European Championship, has been inundated with messages of support and praise since yesterday’s announcement made via Germany’s Die Zeit newspaper that he was gay.
Former England footballer Gary Lineker said on Twitter: ‘Congratulations to Thomas Hitzlsperger on bravely being the first player to have played in the Premier League to “come out”.’
Lineker later tweeted that he was looking forward to interviewing Hitzlsperger for the BBC One show Football Focus this week. ‘A man, hopefully, paving the way for others to follow,’ he added.
Love life: Hitzlsperger pictured with his former partner Inga Totzauer at home in Sutton Coldfield in March 2002
Arsenal’s German forward Lukas Podolski wrote on the microblogging site: ‘Respect to Thomas Hitzlsperger! That was a courageous and correct decision and an important step.’
David Cameron tweeted: ‘As an #AVFC fan, I’ve always admired what Thomas Hitzlsperger did on the pitch – but I admire him even more today. A brave & important move.’
However, Hitzlsperger, who also played for VfB Stuttgart and Lazio, said that the description of his as courageous, though nice to hear, was part of the problem facing the taboo around homosexuality in sport.
He said: ‘That’s something that should change. I sincerely hope that we’ll see the day when nobody mentions courage in these circumstances anymore, because it will be seen as totally normal that a sports person will speak about his homosexuality, the way others talk about their wives and girlfriends.’
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