Came out as gay: “My wife was shocked”

Czech national team player Jakub Jankto came out as gay a month ago.

In his first interview since the announcement, he talks about how it was.

– My wife was shocked, he says Brand.

It was on February 13 that Jankto chose to speak openly about his sexual orientation in a video for the first time Instagram.

– Like everyone else, I also want to live my life in freedom. Without fear, without prejudice, without violence, but with love. I’m gay and I don’t want to hide anymore, he says.

Praised after the announcement

Jankto, with his 45 international matches for the Czech Republic, is so far the most meritorious footballer who has come out as gay.

After the video was posted, Jankto has been praised widely on social media, including by the Swedish Football Association.

“Thank you Jakub for your courage – being able to openly love whoever you want should be a matter of course”the association writes on Twitter.

full screen

The 27-year-old has now also done his first interview where he openly shares his thoughts about the decision to come out.

– There was no point in continuing to pretend all my life, because you only live once and then nothing follows. Everything could be solved by telling and now I feel free, he tells Marca.

Jankto also says that as a teenager he began to feel an attraction to men.

– I tried to have relationships with women, but felt that there was something that didn’t work.

Ex-wife: “I’m proud”

But despite this, until two years ago, Jankto was married to a woman named Marketa Ottomanska – with whom he also has a son.

It was also to Marketa that he first revealed his secret.

– My wife was shocked. When you say this as a 26-year-old, it’s not something anyone expects.

The ex-wife herself tells Marca that she is proud of her ex-husband’s courage to take the step and come out as an active player.

– He is the first to do it. All the other great players who have come out have done so after their careers, she says.

– Jakub was very afraid that people would not accept him for who he is. He felt a lot of stress about it.

Jankto belongs to Spanish La Liga side Getafe but is currently on loan to Sparta Prague in the Czech League.