( CNN ) -- His nickname on the football field was `` Der Hammer '' -- apt for a man who is keen to knock down the barriers faced by gay people in sport . Thomas Hitzlsperger , a former Germany international , revealed Wednesday that he is gay , becoming the most high-profile soccer star to do so to date . The 31-year-old , who retired from the game in September , told German newspaper Die Zeit that he wants to further the debate about homosexuality in sports , which has for long been a taboo . `` I 'm coming out about my homosexuality because I want to move the discussion about homosexuality among professional sportspeople forwards , '' he said in an extract prior to the publication of a full interview on Thursday . `` It 's been a long and difficult process . Only in the last few years have I realized that I preferred living together with a man . '' Support was immediately forthcoming from Hitzlsperger 's former Germany teammate Lukas Podolski , who plays for English Premier League club Arsenal . He said it was `` a brave and right decision . '' German national team coach Joachim Low said in a statement on the German Football Association 's website : `` Thomas has made this personal decision for himself , and should be treated with respect from all sides . '' That Hitzlsperger 's legacy may come to be dominated by his decision to reveal his sexuality shows how divisive the subject remains in football . On the same day , French newspaper Le Parisien reported a documentary to be shown on Canal+ featured Paris-Saint Germain defender Alex expressing his faith-based disapproval of homosexuality . The Brazilian international , who has also played for English Premier League Chelsea , is quoted as saying : `` God created Adam and Eve , not Adam and Yves . '' In February last year former United States international Robbie Rogers revealed he was gay on the day he announced his retirement from the game . He subsequently signed a contract with Major League Soccer club Los Angeles Galaxy in May . Swedish footballer Anton Hysen , son of former Liverpool defender Glenn Hysen , came out in 2011 and told CNN last year he had spoken to other gay players who were too scared to do the same . Hitzlsperger said while homosexuality was generally accepted behind the scenes at clubs he played for , there were still uncomfortable moments . `` In England , Italy and Germany being a homosexual is no big thing , at least not in the dressing room , '' he told Die Zeit . `` I was never ashamed of being who I am but it was not always easy to sit on a table with 20 young men and listen to jokes about gays . `` You let them get on with it as long as the jokes are somewhat funny and not too insulting . Being gay is a topic that is 'ignored ' in football and not ' a serious topic in the changing room . ' `` Fighting spirit , passion and winning mentality are intrinsically linked , that does n't fit the clichÃ© : 'Gays are soft . ' `` Germany national team coach Joachim LÃ¶w also made a statement today , saying that `` Thomas has made this personal decision for himself , and should be treated with respect from all sides '' . Hitzlsperger began his 12-year career in football at Germany 's leading team Bayern Munich , and won the Bundesliga title during a five-year stint with Stuttgart . He spent four years at English Premier League club Aston Villa , where the club 's fans bestowed his nickname `` Der Hammer '' due to his powerful shot . Hitzlsperger also had spells with Everton and West Ham United in England , either side of a season back in Germany with Wolfsburg , and played a handful of games for Lazio in Italy . He represented his country at the 2006 World Cup and played in final of the 2008 European Championships , earning a total of 52 caps over a six-year period .
Former Germany international footballer Thomas Hitzlsperger comes out as gay . The 31-year-old says he wants to further the debate about homosexuality in sport . German football star Thomas Hitzlsperger, who has been a member of Germany's national team since 2004, is now openly gay. He said the viewpoint that `` gays are soft '' was a common and misplaced clichÃ© .