JAKE DANIELS is an English professional footballer, born on this date, who plays as a forward for EFL Championship club Blackpool. He became the first English footballer to come our in more than 30 years.

A youth product of Blackpool since the age of seven, Daniels began playing with their U18s in 2021 and was named Blackpool’s youth team player of the season for 2020–21, scoring 30 goals for the U18s. He signed his first professional contract with the club on 25 February 2022, and joined Northern Premier League side Bamber Bridge on loan on 26 March for the remainder of the 2021–22 season. He debuted with the senior Blackpool side in a 5–0 EFL Championship loss to Peterborough United, coming on as an 81st-minute substitute.

In May 2022, Daniels came out as gay, becoming the UK’s only male professional footballer to be publicly out at the time, and the first since Justin Fashanu in 1990. He cited fellow footballer Josh Cavallo, Thetford Town manager Matt Morton, and diver Tom Daley as helping him come out. His decision to come out as gay was praised by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, FA president Prince William and fellow footballer Harry Kane.