Jake Daniels says he feels no added pressure after coming out as gay – he just wants to prove that he is a good footballer.
Daniels made history in May 2022 when, aged just 17, he became the first active professional footballer in England to come out as gay in 30 years.
As this year's Rainbow Laces activation enters its final weekend, he remains one of only a small handful in the world to reveal their sexuality, alongside the likes of A-League star Josh Cavallo and Serie A player Jakub Jankto.
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But Daniels' situation is different to his counterparts, as he decided to come out at the start of his career, rather than when he had any relative status, like the aforementioned players.
It means that being a trailblazer and being shot into the public eye creates another challenge for him – he still needs to prove he is good at the game.
"There is always banter," Daniels tells Daily Star Sport. "My teammates are good and supportive, but there is always jokey stuff in terms of being 'big time' and stuff like that, but it's all good. I love my teammates, they are my team but they are also my close friends as well and I have always had support from them.
"I am a footballer at the end of the day and I didn't want it to change who I am. Obviously I am a gay footballer and I have got support from so many different people, but at the end of the day, I am just a footballer and I just want to be a professional footballer. That is my main focus.
"I wouldn't say there is a lot of pressure, it's just to prove to people that I am a good footballer."
By coming out, Daniels went from being an academy footballer at Blackpool to a household name in an instant. While that brings some challenges, it also brings its rewards.
"I think the best thing for me was seeing people's parents saying like 'my son or my daughter has just come out to me' and it was amazing to see those messages was great," Daniels says. "Around football, I am seeing a lot more pride flags being flown, I am seeing changes, people will now be banned from grounds for being racist or saying anti-LGBTQ stuff onto the pitch. There is definitely change.
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"I was able to actually be me. I wasn't having to live my life as a lie anymore and I was able to be me every single day.
"I haven't changed as a person, I am still the Jake that I always have been, I am just able to live my life how I want to and I don't have to hide anything or be careful with what I say around people to try and not give it away that I was gay, like I did at the time. To be able to me is just amazing."
"My teammates, we have different religions and backgrounds, so that was a nervous thing for me, we didn't know what reaction to expect.
"Everything was 100% positive, I have never had any negative from my teammates, everyone just supports me and that was definitely an amazing thing.
"In football, it is a sport where we haven't seen someone come out for over 30 years, so me at such a young age, being able to do that, I was very nervous, I was going into the unknown. Social media we know can be so negative but everything I saw was positive and that is the best thing I wanted to see."
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