Former Major League Soccer (MLS) player Matt Pacifici on Sunday shared a photo on Instagram of himself with his boyfriend, announcing for the first time publicly that he's gay.

“What do you mean 'I didn't tell you?'” Pacifici captioned the image of himself holding hands with his boyfriend Dirk Blanchat.

Speaking with LGBT sports blog Outsports, Pacifici, 25, said that the post was also his boyfriend's coming out.

“When you're in a relationship that makes you happy, and on social media you see people posting about their girlfriends, it feels weird not being a part of that,” he said. “You want them to know. This relationship is the one that makes me the most happy ever in my life.”

A 2016 injury ended Pacifici's soccer career.

Pacifici explained that he feared coming out would hurt his career.

“Playing the part of the straight professional athlete was much more important to me at the time than being true to myself,” he said.

According to Outsports, Pacifici is the fifth current or former MLS player to come out publicly, the most recognizable being Robbie Rogers.

(Related: Robbie Rogers: No regrets about coming out gay.)

“The more people who come out, the easier it will be for other people to follow,” he said.