The coming out of Jakub Yankto, the Czech, from the closet is an important and defining act, because he is a senior footballer. He is the first to do so while signed to a Spanish club, and he is also the first to do so while being designated as a member of an important European team. The timing, when his career is in a certain decline, during the loan season at Sparta Prague in his homeland at the age of 27, may actually explain the reasons behind the decline in ability. It is possible that the brave decision that he “doesn’t want to hide anymore”, as he said, will free him mentally and allow him to return to demonstrating the abilities that catapulted him to the status of a great promise in European football until recently.
Because about 5 years ago, they would have used Arsene Wenger’s short list to strengthen Arsenal’s squad, and the idea sounds very logical based on his flourishing in the Italian league. Udinese scouts, who excel at spotting talents around the world, noticed him at the time mainly thanks to his excellent performances in the Czech national team under the age of 18, and already in 2014 the young midfielder made his way to the land of the boot, even before he had time to play for the Slavia Prague uniform that raised him with dedication in the academy, Next to Tomas Suchak.
After the loan season at Ascoli in the second division, he broke straight into the lineup of the little zebras and impressed with his energy, ability to break and pass, and the ability to play in any position in the center of the field. He had nine goals and nine assists from relatively receding positions over the two seasons in Udinese’s uniform in the league, and it is not at all surprising that the Gunners noticed him. Jancto, who broke out at the same time as the Czech team and especially excelled in the game against Germany in the 2018 World Cup qualifiers, is seen as a rising star both in Italy and in his homeland. When the fans were interested in his personality, they discovered a fascinating and somewhat unusual figure among footballers.
First, the link has the soul of an artist. He likes painting as much as football, and in his youth enjoyed spraying graffiti around Prague – a hobby that cost him many reprimands, and even summonses to the police. Later, he moderated a lot, and concentrates on illustrations on paper or canvas. As part of upgrading his ability in the field, Fasz at the time took up drawing figures of famous athletes, including Gonzalo Higuain, Paulo Dybala and Kobe Bryant. The portrait of the late Los Angeles Lakers star eventually sold for 450 euros, and the money was immediately donated to the children’s ward at the hospital in Genoa. “I used to use painting for pranks, and now I help people,” said the Czech proudly, who claims that Leonardo da Vinci is his favorite painter of all time, and also likes to study the works of Diego and the Spanish Essex.
Second, Yanketo was very prudent with money, since he received his first salary at Udinese at the age of 18. “I decided to invest at least 80 percent of my money from the first moment,” he declared and dispersed his investments. He has a number of apartments and real estate properties in Prague that he chose himself, and at an early stage he even set up a bar for smoking hookah in the center of the Czech capital. Later, the Czech also entered the field of e-commerce, and when the career on the grass takes too long, he transfers Managing some of the business for his father – but not all of it. “I can’t concentrate only on football, and need a wide range of things,” said the contact.
The talks with Arsenal didn’t ultimately lead to an official offer, but Udinese certainly made a handsome bargain on Jancato when they sold him to Sampdoria for 15 million euros. The Czech really liked working with the veteran coach Claudio Ranieri, who often placed him on the left wing in the simple 4-4-2 formation, created a good cooperation with the legendary striker Fabio Cavalliarla, and became one of the favorite stars in terms of the crowd. However, in 2021, at the end of a record season in Italian football and after a positive participation in the European Championship, he chose to migrate to Spain and sign a long-term contract with Getafe. In retrospect, it turned out that it was a mistake that completely reversed the trend and stopped his progress.
In the southern suburb of Madrid, for some reason Lincato was assigned the role of the left wing player who should close the entire line and generally focus on the defensive tasks. This slot is completely unsuitable for his character, he did not live up to expectations, and spent most of last season on the bench without a clear professional horizon. This fiasco significantly lowered his attractiveness in the market, and last summer Yankto had to wander on loan back to his homeland to try to restore his career. The fact that Hatem signed with Sparta did not go down quietly for the fans of the city rival Slavia, in whose ranks the bond grew, and they now see him as a kind of traitor. “Fortunately for him”, he missed due to injury the big derby in October in which Slavia defeated Sparta 0:4.
Right now, then, Yankto’s career is at a certain low point, but this does not detract from his status. He is an important player in the Czech national team with 45 international appearances so far, and is very well known in Italian football, where he is remembered for excellent seasons in both Udinese and Sampdoria. This is not a superstar by any means, but Yankato is a respectable footballer who is in the midst of a career, with an undisguised ambition to return to center stage in one of Europe’s top leagues. It can be said that he is the most senior player to come out of the closet, and now it will be very interesting to see how this step will affect the continuation of his professional career.
The dramatic message, delivered well in a short and powerful YouTube video, naturally brings him back to consciousness. Those who managed to forget about his existence after the disappointing season at Getafe and the loan to Sparta, remembered him yesterday, and his name appeared in the news in all languages around the world. Beyond the desire to be free and not to hide, Yantak knows that he serves as a true pioneer. He expects that his statement may cause others to follow suit and break once and for all the unwritten taboo in football. He believes that the time has come, much belatedly, to open the issue for free discussion, without players having to hide their sexual orientation.
Are these intentions innocent? It is possible, but Yankto may lead to a fundamental change nevertheless, and it will be especially intriguing to see if certain clubs would prefer to sign him now for reasons of public relations and conveying a social message, in addition to his qualities as a footballer. If this happens, then the change is indeed happening before our eyes. The road to a situation where coming out of the closet will not have any effect on a footballer, and he will simply continue his career without attracting attention, is still very long – but at the end of the day this will be the desired result.
