Morgan Freeman helped kick off the World Cup during the tournament’s opening ceremony, however, some fans have spotted a familiar item on his hand.
Since 2008, the actor has been forced to wear a compression glove after paralyzing his hand during a severe car crash in Mississippi, according to news.com.au.
The outlet states that the crash led to Freeman’s car being flipped multiple times and left him on the side of the road.
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While the now-85-year-old underwent surgery for his injuries, he suffered nerve damage and now wears the glove to support circulation.
He told People in 2010: “I suffered nerve damage and it hasn’t gotten better. I can’t move it.
“If you don’t move your hand, it will swell up. Do you know you move your hand about a million times a day?”
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Additionally, Freeman has fibromyalgia and is in constant pain due to his shoulder.
He told Esquire a couple of years after the accident that his fibromyalgia causes pain ‘up and down the arm. That’s where it gets so bad. Excruciating'.
However, that didn’t stop the actor from appearing in the World Cup ceremony over the weekend.
Freeman, who was an ambassador for the USA’s bid to host the 2022 World Cup before losing hosting rights to Qatar, stunned fans by joining the stage with Qatari YouTube star Ghanim al-Muftah.
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Fox News reported that the YouTube star, who suffers from Caudal Regression Syndrome, proceeded to read from the Quran while the actor walked on stage.
During their appearance, in a recorded dialogue, the actor asked al-Muftah if he was allowed to attend the World Cup.
To which al-Muftah responded: “We were raised to believe that we were scattered on this earth as nations, as tribes, so we could learn from each other and find beauty in the differences.”
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The local star added that the world could live together ‘under one big home’ if we have ‘tolerance and respect’.
To which Freeman said: “So we gather here as one big tribe, and Earth is the tent we all live in.”
The two then reached their hands together, with the images of fireworks projected behind them.
Freeman has been seen at several high-profile events in the past sporting his compression glove.
Topics: Football, Football World Cup, Qatar
Jayden Collins