The post - translated from Spanish - read "I hope you respect me: I'm gay" but was quickly deleted after Spanish media reported that he was joking.

His former Spain teammate - and Barcelona counterpart - Carles Puyol replied to the tweet, saying that it's 'time for the pair to tell their story.'

It was suggested that Casillas made the post in response to constant stories in the press linking him romantically to various women.

However, he later posted that he had been hacked and that it wasn't him who sent the original tweet.

As a result of the post and the stories surrounding it, the Spaniard lost over three million followers, with many supporters offended by the whole ordeal.

Homophobia in football has been a problem for a long time, with very few gay players feeling comfortable enough to come out in the history of the sport.

The most famous case is that of Justin Fashanu, who came out in 1990, but tragically committed suicide eight years later as a result of the abuse he had received from terraces.

More recently, Jake Daniels (17) of Blackpool announced that he was gay, resulting in waves of support online from the world of football.