And Klopp was thankful to the Adelaide United midfielder because it would help bring about change. Change so we get to the point where announcements are no longer necessary.

In his 30 years in soccer, Klopp was confident every dressing room he's been a part of would have openly welcomed any gay player.

The Liverpool boss was speaking ahead of his team's Champions League clash against Atletico Madrid at Anfield on Thursday morning.

He was asked why historically male soccer wasn't an open and safe environment for players from different sexualities.

Cavallo's currently the only openly gay male player in any of the major leagues around the world.

But for Klopp, who played most of his career with Mainz before becoming one of the best managers in the world, it never would have been a problem.

So he felt it was a wider societal issue and change was clearly still needed.

Which was why he was glad Cavallo had come out. Because it would help do exactly that.

"I saw his speech, his announcement, and he looks like a really strong, smart, young man and I wish him all the best," Klopp said on Wednesday.

"I'm really thankful that he did it because now we talk again - I'm not sure when we spoke last time about this subject. Now we speak again and it's always a good start for changing."

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That change needed to happen in wider society.

Klopp's playing career took off with German club Mainz in 1990 - more than 30 years ago - before he took over the management reins of the same club.

Since then he's managed Borussia Dortmund and now Liverpool.

While he was confident there wouldn't have been any issues with a gay player during all that time, he was hopeful of the day when announcement's like Cavallo's were no longer necessary.

"I think we should not be like this. That Josh is doing that and it's such a big story that's actually the problem we have obviously - that it's not normal," Klopp said.

"Or that he has to make an announcement and it's not just living his life. It's his private life and nobody should be bothered about that.

"But I can tell you in the 30 years in the industry I never had a dressing room where it would have been a problem at all.

"So the problem is not the inner circle, the problem is the wider thing. We all have to work on it still obviously.

"That's very disappointing that we have to work on that, but we have to work on that - so that these kind of news aren't necessary.

"Nobody has to make an announcement like that and nobody has to open up.

"I didn't say that I'm hetero. I don't have to. These kind of things should be just completely normal."

Klopp also hoped the A-League crowds in Australia would accept Cavallo for who he was and he wouldn't receive any "stick".

Racism in crowds has been an issue around the world, with governing bodies regularly handing out punishments for incidents - such as forcing them to play in front of empty stadiums.

But Klopp got the feeling from watching Cavallo's announcement the 21-year-old would be strong enough to deal with any issues.

So far, it's mostly been positive feedback with Cavallo delighted with the response.

"Again it's not in the dressing room. So if it's not in the dressing room then where is it?" Klopp asked.

"How would the media deal with it? How did the media deal with it? I have no idea how much they're pushing ... or is he just going back to what he wants to do - playing football?

"Crowds in the stadium ... they try to give you some stick. I wonder whether that would happen with these kind of things for sure.

"It's about being strong enough to get through it."

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