‘An exemplary father’: Footballer Pedro Rodríguez closes comments after online hate over son’s birthday outfit
“The world needs parents like this"
By Aaron Sugg
Spanish footballer Pedro Rodríguez is being praised by fans and parents alike after shutting down hateful comments on social media aimed at his young son, Marc, wearing a dress.
The 37-year-old footballer, who has played for Barcelona and Chelsea and is now playing for Lazio, posted to Instagram photos celebrating Marc’s birthday at Siam Waterpark in Tenerife, where Rodríguez grew up.
The carousel of images showed the footballer smiling alongside his ex-wife Carolina Martín and their three children, Bryan, Kyle and Marc – the birthday boy, wearing a tiara and seemingly a dress in front of a Lilo & Stitch cake.
The birthday post drew significant attention, with over 10k comments – many of which were harmful remarks. One wrote: “Girl or boy???” Another said: “There’s still time to save your son, don’t give up on him.”
This prompted Rodríguez to disable users from making further comments.
However, despite the controversial comments, the Instagram post captioned ‘Congratulations MARC!! Another year in the best waterpark in the world, many thanks to Siam Park for helping us to enjoy such a wonderful day,’ also drew significant positive reactions.
“You are an EXEMPLARY father”
Before the comment section was wiped, supporters wrote: “When a MAN knows how to be a FATHER,” and “The world needs parents like this! Making their children happy.”
Another added: “You are an EXEMPLARY father, above all for the footballer world that surrounds you; they should all learn from you and your family.”
This moment of support and acceptance comes at a time when LGBTQ+ inclusion in football is under intense scrutiny. Most recently, the Football Association (FA) updated its policy for transgender men wishing to play in male football.
The FA has issued it is a requirement for them to declare that they are “biological females” and acknowledge “a greater risk of injury when playing against adult biological males.”
Out LGBTQ+ individuals in the sport are also becoming more outspoken about the growing tensions. Ryan Atkin, the first out gay referee in England’s professional football leagues, recently spoke out on the need to defend players’ rights.
He said on the LGBT Sport Podcast: “Football must do more. It has to take a hard line on it… Protect your club, protect your players, protect your image — that, for me, is really key.”