Héctor Bellerín opens up about homophobic abuse on social media | OneFootball

Héctor Bellerín has opened up about the social media abuse he faces on a regular basis and how it has affected his confidence as a top level sportsman.

Bellerín was seen as one of Arsenal’s brightest prospects after bursting onto the scene in 2015, but has since experienced fan aggression first hand as his form began to dip.

The 23-year-old is also keen on fashion, and explains how growing his hair drew homophobic abuse on Twitter and Instagram.

“Most of the abuse is online but you hear it in the stadium as well,” he told the Times. “People have called me lesbian for growing my hair.

There’s other kinds of homophobic insults. I’ve learnt to grow thick skin but it can affect you. Every now & again there’s a bit of self-doubt.”

“The problem is that people have an idea of what a footballer should look like, how they should behave, what they should talk about.”

“You act a little differently and you become a target. There is pressure to conform. This is very dangerous.”

“When I first came into the ranks at Arsenal, the expectations were very low so people were often impressed when I played well. But then, when I played badly, the stick got crazy.”

“The worst was a year and a half ago. A lot of people say nice things but it is natural to focus on the bad. For a while, I deleted the apps. But now I’m learning how to handle the abuse.”