The unproven declaration of homosexuality of a Real Madrid player
William Harris A new documentary has been released in Spain, discussing the timeline of the gay pride movement in the country.
One of the stories covered is that of the supposed coming out of a Real Madrid player through the magazine called Zero.
La liga player Jakub Jankto makes history: Becomes first player in Spain to come out as gay
"There was expectation about a Zero front cover featuring a footballer or a bullfighter and I got an email from the then-director of communication at Real Madrid in which he said he was aware that they had a [homosexual] player in the first team at that time," explained Carlos Diaz, Zero's communications director, speaking to Movistar+ for the documentary.
"He asked me to wait until the end of the season, but we didn't have him. We didn't know about a player.
"But, it did leave me with the evidence that in their staff they were afraid of some of their players coming out of the closet, which at that time was very significant."
The magazine did once publish a cover featuring two models dressed as football players, but no Real Madrid player was ever on it.
Why don't footballers in Spain come out of the closet?
The documentary discussed homosexuality in football further, with few players coming out and with the recent announcement from Getafe's Jakub Jankto garnering so much attention because of its rarity.
"In football, they live in very closed circles that are very pressured by the public," suggested Eduardo Mendicutti, a columnist for Zero.
The documentary about Zero from Movistar+
The compelling two-part documentary is titled "Zero: la revista que saco del armario a un país" ("Zero: The magazine that led a nation to come out").
It chronicles the remarkable journey of a publication that went from a vital resource for the LGTBIQ+ community into a social phenomenon in Spain, driving significant progress in civil rights across the country.
The documentary showcases insightful interviews with influential figures such as Jesus Vazquez, Miquel Iceta, Boris Izaguirre, Anabel Alonso, Nacho Duato, Eduardo Casanova, Alaska, Gaspar Llamazares and former employees of the magazine, among others.
