Spain’s Only Out Footballer Married His Husband. He’s Never Felt Freer
Alberto Lejarraga is the only openly out player in Spain’s men’s professional football, and he says he has never felt freer. The 31-year-old goalkeeper married his husband, pop singer Ruben Fernandez, near Malaga last summer, and in doing so became the first male professional footballer to marry a same-sex partner while still actively playing. He spoke to Outsports about the wedding, his identity, and why he keeps showing up.
The ceremony was personal, with football woven all the way through it. His groomsmen wore matching bow ties printed with a keeper making a full-length save, and the seating plan was laid out on a mini grass pitch. When Lejarraga posted the photos on Instagram, they spread fast.
“It was so nice to see people talking about our very happy wedding memories,” he told Outsports. No male professional footballer had married a same-sex partner while still playing. He did it, and he did it in the open.
The couple first made headlines in 2023, when Lejarraga shared a photo kissing Fernandez after his then club Marbella won promotion. The image went viral and still sits pinned to the top of his X account.
They had been together five years by then, having met in Granada. “I felt free to do it,” he said. Getting there was hard. He describes years of hearing ugly comments and feeling unable to talk about his relationship inside the game, sometimes hesitating even to hold hands in the street.
Why He Says Pansexual, Not Just Gay
Lejarraga does not mind being called a gay footballer, but he is precise about his own identity. “I refer to myself as pansexual or bisexual. I prefer pansexual,” he told Outsports. He wants that word said out loud, because bi and pan people so often get left out of the story. Have you noticed how rarely they get named?
He is one of only two active male players on the Soccer Power 26 list of influential out figures in the men’s game. The other is Australia’s Josh Cavallo, who came out in 2021 and became an early inspiration. Lejarraga feels accepted at his Madrid club UD Sanse, where he just signed a new deal after being named the best goalkeeper in the Spanish fourth tier. Still, homophobic comments persist, and he warns that anti-LGBTQIA+ voices are getting louder.
“We shouldn’t be having to talk about this in 2026, but we’ll get there,” he said. He credits allies like Spain striker Borja Iglesias and Real Betis pair Hector Bellerin and Aitor Ruibal.
Lejarraga was cheering for Iglesias and Spain, who went on to win the 2026 World Cup on 19 July. His message for any player still hiding is a plain one. “No one should have to leave football because they don’t feel comfortable,” he said.
