Former German Soccer Player Thomas Hitzlsperger Announces He Is Gay!

In a recent interview, former German footballer Thomas Hitzlsperger said he wanted "to further the debate about homosexuality among sports professionals," and boy did he ever!!

So, how exactly did he do it? By coming out to become the first Premier League soccer player to announce he is openly gay!!Thomas dropped the huge bombshell, saying it wasn't easy for himself to fully accept he was gay in the world of sports, but he hopes the news can help change the way homosexuality is perceived in the locker room:"Being gay is topic that is 'ignored' in football and not 'a serious topic in the changing room'.

Fighting spirit, passion and winning mentality are intrinsically linked, that doesn't fit the cliché: 'Gays are soft'"Amen, brother!!Thomas has already received TONS of love from fans and former teammates alike, and he took to Twitter to thank all of his supporters, saying:Hello everyone! All these messages about my news, I am overwhelmed from this and I can't say thank you enough times!

— Thomas  Hitzlsperger(@ThomasHitzl)January 8, 2014He followed up that tweet by saying:I feel now of all time is the right time to break the news too. I now wish this is the start of many more who feel pressure to break it.

TH— Thomas Hitzlsperger(@ThomasHitzl)January 8, 2014Unfortunately, Thomas' career was cut short by injuries and he was forced to retire last year, so there are still no openly gay players actively play in the Premier League!

However, hopefully Thomas'announcement will help open the doors for closeted players in the near future!