Former German international footballer reveals his homosexuality

Thomas Hitzlsperger has revealed in an interview that he is gay, and that he wants to bring a discussion about homosexuality to the forefront of professional sport.
The former Germany international played 52 times for his country, and also had spells at West Ham United and Everton in the Premier League.
In an interview with German magazine Zeit, he has broached the subject of his homosexuality publicly for the first time and had spoken about the issues facing gay sportsmen and women.
In the interview, conducted in German, Thomas Hitzlsperger, simply said:
"I want to talk about my homosexuality.
"By doing this I am hoping to bring about a discussion on homosexuality in professional sport."
The German international admitted that his homosexuality is only something that he has only recently been aware of:
"It has only recently been obvious to me what I would rather live with a man."
He is one of only a handful of footballers to come out as being gay, in addition to American footballer Robbie Rogers, who retired after announcing his homosexuality, and Justin Fashanu.