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Jake Daniels: Blackpool player says coming out will allow him to be 'free' and 'confident'

I am ready to be myself - Daniels

Blackpool's Jake Daniels said his decision to come out as the UK's only openly gay active male professional footballer would allow him to be "free and confident".

The Championship club forward is the first professional in the UK men's game for more than 30 years to come out while still playing.

Speaking to Sky Sports, the 17-year-old said: "Now is the right time to do it.

"I feel like I am ready to tell people my story."

He added: "Since I've come out to my family, my club and my team-mates, that period of overthinking everything - and the stress it created - has gone. It was impacting my mental health. Now I am just confident and happy to be myself finally.

"I have been thinking for a long time about how I want to do it, when I want to do it. I know now is the time. I am ready to be myself, be free and be confident with it all."

Justin Fashanu was the last active men's professional footballer in the UK to come out during his playing career, featuring for clubs in England and Scotland after announcing in October 1990 that he was gay.

Adelaide United player Josh Cavallo is the only current openly gay top-flight male professional footballer in the world, having come out last October.

Daniels' announcement drew instant reaction, with UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson tweeting: "Thank you for your bravery Jake. It would have taken huge courage to come out and you will be an inspiration to many both on and off the pitch."

The football world also reacted swiftly, with the Premier League tweeting "the footballing world is with you", while Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea all said they were "proud" of Daniels.

Trevor Birch, chief executive of the EFL, said: "We hope that this moment helps take us forward to a time where LGBTQ+ representation at all levels of the men's professional game is the norm."

'I've been hiding who I am'

Jake Daniels plays for BlackpoolRex/Shutterstock

Jake Daniels made his Blackpool first-team debut against Peterborough on 7 May

Daniels said he had known he was gay since the age of five or six and that his girlfriends in school were "a massive cover-up".

He said: "In school people even used to ask me: 'Are you sure you aren't gay">