A tweet by the Spanish goalkeeper legend Iker Casillas (41), which was deleted only a little later, caused excitement and speculation. “I hope you respect me: I’m gay. Happy Sunday,” read his verified account on Sunday.

The answer from former FC Barcelona professional Carles Puyol (44) caused even more excitement. “It’s time to tell our story, Iker,” he commented, followed by a heart emoji and a kissing hand emoji. Casillas’ tweet was deleted after a good hour, but Puyol’s tweet was initially not.

It was not previously known that the two could actually be gay. Casillas was married to sports journalist Sara Carbonero until 2021 and has two sons with her, Puyol has been with model Vanesa Lorenzo for years, and they have two daughters together.

Spanish media such as the newspaper “Mundo Deportivo” speculated that Casillas’ Twitter account could have been hacked. Casillas may have wanted to use the tweet to defend himself against ever new media reports speculating about alleged new love affairs of the former national football keeper.

In Germany, a handball professional had recently attracted attention. Lucas Krzikalla made his homosexuality known in an interview with WELT AM SONNTAG. “I am happy, very excited, happy and free. I didn’t expect so much encouragement,” said the 28-year-old after his courageous step. The feedback was almost exclusively positive. The news reached Krzikalla via WhatsApp, SMS, calls and social media.

Under a post on Instagram showing Krzikalla with friend Christian Groß, numerous fellow athletes also sent heart and rainbow emojis. National team captain Johannes Golla sees Krzikalla’s public approach as the starting signal. “There will be others who will take this step in order to be able to live more freely and no longer have to pretend.” Casillas is probably not one of them.