Footballer forced to deny he is gay after magazine publicly ‘outs’ him

Jonathan Dos Santos has denied he is gay after it was claimed he was in a relationship with his teammate.

Mexican football star Jonathan Dos Santos has been forced to deny his is in a gay relationship with his Villarreal teammate Matteo Musacchio.

Earlier this week, Mexican magazine TV Notas claimed the 25-year-old footballer had been in a relationship with the Argentine defender for seven months.

The article went on to claim that Dos Santos’ brother Giovanni – who is also a Mexico international – was supportive of his brother’s sexuality.

However, Dos Santos has taken to Twitter to rubbish the report – saying that if he was gay, he would be happy to admit it.

“To the media: If I was gay, I would have no problem in saying so,” he wrote.

“Invent something else. Don’t promote discrimination or sensationalism.”

Fellow footballer Cristiano Ronaldo refused to discuss his sexuality in a recent post match interview, following unwarranted rumours regarding his relationship with a close friend.

Last month, a French TV host claimed that the football ace was in a relationship with Badr Hari.

“Ronaldo takes three or four jets a week to see a friend in Morocco to cuddle,” he said, leading to shocked gasps from the audience.

His comments came after the Real Madrid striker and his new BFF jokingly shared a series of snaps of their recent bromantic holiday.

In October, it was reported that two top flight gay footballers – including an England international – are considering revealing their sexuality before the next football season.

Justin Fashanu was the first professional footballer in Britain to come out, in 1990, before he took his own life eight years later, aged 37.

Last year, retired former Aston Villa midfielder Thomas Hitzlsperger made headlines around the world, after he revealed he is gay to a German newspaper.

Other UK sports – such as rugby – are proving ever more accepting of gay players, with playersKeegan Hirst and Sam Stanley coming out in recent months to universal praise.