Jakub Jankto (; born 19 January 1996) is a Czech former professional footballer. A versatile player, he could play as a full-back, left midfielder or left winger.
Jankto garnered attention when he announced that he came out as gay in a social media post in 2023, making him the first active male international footballer to come out as gay.
Club career Jankto signed for Udinese from Slavia Prague in 2014 for a reported fee of €700,000. Without making his league debut for the team, he went on loan to Serie B side Ascoli in 2015, debuting on 15 September in a Serie B 1–0 home win against Virtus Entella.
On 6 July 2018, Sampdoria announced that Jankto had joined the club on an initial loan deal with an obligation to make the transfer permanent for €15 million. On 12 August, Jankto scored on his debut for Sampdoria in a 1–0 Coppa Italia win against Viterbese. Sampdoria later made the transfer permanent.
On 20 August 2021, Jankto signed a two-year contract with La Liga club Getafe CF. The following year on 10 August, he returned to his homeland after joining Sparta Prague on a one-year loan deal.
On 15 July 2023, Jankto signed a two-year contract with Serie A club Cagliari, with an option to extend for a further year. He made his debut for Cagliari on 21 August 2023 in a goalless draw against Torino. On 3 March 2024, he scored his first goal for Cagliari in a 1–0 victory against Empoli.
On 21 August 2025, Jankto announced on his Instagram that he had retired due to persistent health problems. He also referred to "wanting to spend more time with his son" as one of the reasons for his retirement.
International career
In March 2017, Jankto received his first call-up by coach Karel Jarolím to the Czech senior squad for two matches against Lithuania (friendly) and San Marino (2018 FIFA World Cup qualification). The same year on 22 March, he debuted against the former opponent with his first goal that ended in a 3–0 victory.
Personal life Jankto was in a relationship with model Markéta Ottomanská and had a son. They separated in 2021.
On 13 February 2023, Jankto publicly came out as gay in a social media statement, becoming the first active senior international men's footballer to do so. Jankto's move received support from football clubs, footballers and other athletes.
On 18 April 2023, Jankto was stopped by police near the Sparta Prague Strahov training center. He submitted to a breath test behind the wheel of his vehicle, but refused to take a drug test and a medical examination. He also drove without a driver's licence, which had been taken away by the authorities earlier in 2023. In response, club management initiated a meeting with Jankto, and it was decided that he would not participate in training sessions with the first team.
Career statistics Club + Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueNational cupTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAscoli (loan)2015–16Serie B34510355Udinese2016–17Serie A295103052017–1836432396Total 659426911Sampdoria (loan)2018–19Serie A25031281Sampdoria2019–20Serie A302103122020–21356203762021–22001010Total65840698Getafe2021–22La Liga14010150Sparta Prague (loan)2022–23Czech First League15110161Cagliari2023–24Serie A18120201Career total 2362416325227
International + Appearances and goals by national team and yearNational teamYearAppsGoalsCzech Republic20171012018712019912020402021111202240Total454
Scores and results list Czech Republic's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Jankto goal.
+ List of international goals scored by Jakub JanktoNo.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition1 22 March 2017 Městský stadion, Ústí nad Labem, Czech Republic 2–0 3–0 Friendly2 15 November 2018 Stadion Energa Gdańsk, Gdańsk, Poland 1–0 1–0 Friendly3 10 June 2019 Andrův stadion, Olomouc, Czech Republic 1–0 3–0 UEFA Euro 2020 qualification4 24 March 2021 Arena Lublin, Lublin, Poland 6–1 6–2 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
Honours Sparta Prague Czech First League: 2022–23
References
External links