Ryan Sessegnon has shared some of the horrific racist abuse he gets sent via social media, admitting it no longer even shocks him.
The 20-year-old Tottenham star, currently on loan at Hoffenheim, shared an image of some of the grim messages sent to him via social, calling him a "slave" and a "f***ing n*****" among other vile insults.
Sessegnon captioned it with: "Honestly unbelievable SMH [shaking my head]. The craziest thing is I'm not even surprised anymore. Disgusting."
Both Spurs and Hoffenheim have delivered online messages of support to the England Under-21 player. Tottenham's tweet read: "Everyone at the Club is with you @RyanSessegnon.
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"We are proud of the rich ethnic diversity that exists across our communities, fans, staff and players.
"We are driven by inclusion and equality for all and nobody should have to endure such repulsive abuse."
TSG Hoffenheim also shared a message of solidarity with the left-sided loanee who's played a part in five games for the Bundesliga club this season. "Today, our player @RyanSessegnon was the target of horrific online racist abuse," their message began.
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"TSG stands for tolerance, integration and respect. We reject all forms of racism, discrimination and exclusion and say #NoToRacism!"
The insulting messages make for horrid viewing but Sessegnon has performed an important act in revealing them. It's crucial that football fans do not ignore the disgusting racist abuse that players are being exposed to online, encouraging police and platforms to take action against those responsible.
Wilfried Zaha is another player who's bravely opened up on the racist insults he's received on social media. The Crystal Palace forward reported over 50 social media accounts in July.
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He told CNN: "For black footballers for instance, being on Instagram is not even fun for us anymore. You're not enjoying your profile because every time I'm scared to even look up my direct messages any more because it could be filled with anything.
"I don't even have Twitter on my phone any more because it's almost certain that you're going to get some sort of abuse."
Sessegnon has received support from inside and, hopefully, outside of football too. But it's still sickeningly depressing that he, and other footballers, clearly find these kind of attacks a regular occurrence.
All imagery: PA Sport
Featured Image Credit:Topics: Spurs, Football News, Ryan Sessegnon, Tottenham Hotspur, Football, Hoffenheim, Premier League, Bundesliga
