Former Leeds football player comes out as gay and announces his retirement from the sport aged just 25

An American footballer who used to play for Leeds United has announced he is gay and retiring from the sport aged just 25.

Robbie Rogers, a Southern California native currently based in London, made the announcement in a heartfelt blog entry.

The winger - who also played for Stevenage - revealed how he would feared he would suffer discrimination if he revealed his sexuality.

In a blog entitled ‘The Next Chapter’, Rogers wrote: ‘Things are never what they seem. My whole life I have felt different. To overcome your fears you must be strong and have faith in your purpose.

‘For the past 25 years I have been afraid to show who I really was because of fear that judgment and rejection would hold me back from my dreams and aspirations.'

It comes as the Football Association continues to try and tackle discrimination against homosexuality in the sport.

Only a handful of footballers have ever announced they are gay as many still fear coming out will damage their careers.

Footballer Justin Fashanu was the first and only English player to publicly announce he was homosexual.

The Norwich City and Nottingham Forest player committed suicide eight years later in 1998.

Rogers, who represented his country 18 times, including at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, also told how he kept his sexuality a secret even from his friends and family.

He wrote: 'Fear that my loved ones would be farthest from me if they knew my secret.

‘Life is only complete when your loved ones know you. When they know your true feelings, when they know who and how you love. Life is simple when your secret is gone. Gone is the pain that lurks in the stomach at work, the pain from avoiding questions, and at last the pain from hiding such a deep secret.

‘Secrets can cause so much internal damage. Try explaining to your loved ones after 25 years you are gay. Try convincing yourself that your creator has the most wonderful purpose for you even though you were taught differently.

‘I always thought I could hide this secret. Football was my escape, my purpose, my identity. Football hid my secret, gave me more joy than I could have ever imagined… I will always be thankful for my career.’

Rogers rose to prominence at Columbus Crew in MLS, scoring 13 goals in over 100 appearances and earning international colors in the process.

He then moved to Leeds United, a team in the second tier of English football, on the advice of USA coach Juergen Klinsmann. Rogers struggled with injuries and, after making only nine appearances in five months on loan at Stevenage, he has decided to call it a day.

Rogers, who has more than 75,000 followers  finishes his blog with: ‘I will remember Beijing, The MLS Cup, and most of all my teammates. I will never forget the friends I have made along the way and the friends that supported me once they knew my secret.

‘Now is my time to step away. It’s time to discover myself away from football.  It’s 1 A.M. in London as I write this and I could not be happier with my decision.

'Life is so full of amazing things. I realized I could only truly enjoy my life once I was honest.

'Honesty is a bitch but makes life so simple and clear. My secret is gone, I am a free man, I can move on and live my life as my creator intended.’

Roger played for the U.S. national team 18 times, scoring twice. He featured in all three of the team's games at the Beijing Olympics in 2008 and the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup squad.

Ruth Hunt, director of public affairs for UK-based lesbian, gay and bisexual charity Stonewall, said: 'It's great that Robbie now feels able to be open about his sexuality but it remains a shame that no professional player feels able to be out during their career.

'Homophobia remains rife in football and we must work together to stop it for the sake of the game.'

Gordon Taylor, chairman of the Professional Footballers' Association in the U.K., told Press Association: 'I'm pleased that he's come out for his own sake. We do have players who've said that, while they are gay, they don't feel comfortable enough to come out.

'It's not dissimilar to many black players, and we need to create a safe environment for them on and off the field. If there is abuse, that needs to be dealt with by all the football family.

'It's no bad thing that he's been brave enough to come out. We know of players who are playing who are gay who've not had that confidence as yet. But, as the rest of the world becomes more civilized, hopefully that will come.'

Taylor added that the PFA remains committed to programs of education on all topics relating to discrimination, but that the issue is one that needs to be tackled by society as a whole.

'There needs to be a feeling that there is a comfortable environment for everybody,' he said. 'We're aware through our sporting chance clinic that players who deal with such issues at the moment feel they would be targeted and the attention would no longer be on them as a footballer.

'That's a real challenge. But the game has to be up to that. If we're going to claim to be the major sport in the world, both in terms of spectators and participation, then we've got to use that to create a better example.'

Another American player, David Testo, came out after retiring from football in 2011. He also played for Columbus Crew, albeit before Rogers, later moving to Canada where he played for Vancouver and Montreal.