Spanish footballer Alberto Lejárraga shared photos of him and his partner in an adorable new social media post.
Lejárraga plays for the Marbella Fútbol Club. Following his team’s promotion to Spain’s fourth-tier league on Tuesday, Lejárraga shared photos of his friends and family, including one where he's kissing his unnamed boyfriend.
He wrote his thanks in Spanish.
“Thank you so much for always being by my side, during the good and the bad," the text translates to. "Now it’s our turn to live it up. Thanks!" He concluded the post with two red heart emojis.
In the collage of four photos, Lejárraga shares celebratory images of his friends and family and in a couple of them, you can spot the 28-year-old's boyfriend wearing a black Marbella jersey with his name on it.
Fans are fawning over Lejárraga's announcement. “Thank you, for being brave and not hiding and being free!!! THANK YOU,” one wrote. “Thank you for your bravery, and congratulations on your promotion!” said another. “You don’t know how much gratitude you deserve for this gesture… And how much happiness… Enjoy the triumph, in every way… A hug,” added another commenter.
According to PinkNews, Czech Republic midfielder Jakub Jankto is the only out player active at an international level, and he just came out in February. The number of LGBTQ+ players in sports is slowly increasing.
Hopefully, the visibility of Lejárraga and the others can have a positive impact on acceptance in the sports industry at large. They certainly do still face challenges, as former Jake Williamson explained earlier this year. He says he faced homophobia both on and off the field that contributed to his retirement. “I was completely shut out of the team. It’s bad enough that, in the society we live in, we get made to feel like we’re the worst thing on earth sometimes. So it’s not nice when your own football team just cuts you off.”
