Josh Cavallo, who last year became the first openly gay player in men's professional football, says he dreams of representing Australia at this winter's World Cup - but has questioned whether he would be safe in Qatar.

In an exclusive interview with Sky Sports, the 22-year-old also revealed he had received supportive messages from the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Antoine Griezmann after coming out, and stated his belief that other professional athletes will follow his lead.

But among the positive reactions to his announcement have been negatives, including the fact that - to realise his ambition of playing for his country at the World Cup - Cavallo would have to be prepared to play in a country where the rights of gay people are heavily restricted.

Amnesty International says women and LGBTQ+ people continued to face discrimination in Qatar and that censorship has increased in the lead up to the World Cup, but asked whether he would be willing to travel to the country for the tournament, Cavallo said: "I'd definitely go to the World Cup, yeah.

"I want to show it's OK for everyone. It's not just OK for Josh Cavallo because he's a footballer and he's protected, I want it to be OK for that everyday person.

"But it does concern me. If I represent Australia at the World Cup - and I'm pushing for that - it would be an honour but at the same time, the laws clash. I want to do something really good in my career - I've always dreamed of playing for my country at the World Cup - but do I want my life to be in danger?"

Cavallo - who was capped at U19 level by Australia but is yet to earn a call-up to the senior side - added: "It's difficult and a bit sad. It's hard to pick which one you want to do.

"But in all my messages there's a lot of people from those countries that have to escape just so they can live freely and be themselves. I hope this changes in the future because it's not OK the way it's going right now. It's something we can definitely turn around."

But despite the barriers that remain for Cavallo and other players in his position, the Adelaide United player says he has been delighted by the reaction his announcement in October 2021 that he is gay has generated.

"Honestly, it's been incredible to see how the world reacted and basically gave me a big hug," he said. "I didn't realise the impact my story would have on millions and millions of people around the world.

"It feels like a long time ago - it feels like five years ago for me because I live my days so fully now. It's been absolutely incredible. I'm very happy and proud of myself that I can help these people better and evolve the game."

Cavallo says he received an astonishing 700,000 messages within the first 30 minutes of his announcement and, while he understandably couldn't respond to them all, he says there were some that naturally stood out.

"Obviously the messages from the football stars, your icons like Zlatan Ibrahimovic, [Antoine] Griezmann and [Jesse] Lingard," he said. "When I was younger I woke up to watch them play early in the morning, so it's nice to see these straight athletes reaching out and saying, 'Hey Josh, it's OK'."