Heartbreaking reason Morgan Freeman wore a glove in World Cup opening ceremony

The legendary actor played a somewhat surprisingly central role in the World Cup opening ceremony – donning a familiar item on his hand.

Morgan Freeman had the eyes of the world upon him as he took centre stage during the World Cup opening ceremony — and many turned to the familiar item covering his left hand.

The acting legend has reportedly been forced to wear a beige glove since 2008, after he was involved in a serious car crash in Mississippi.

Freeman was badly injured when the car left the road, flipped several times and landed in a ditch. He was airlifted to hospital and left with a paralysed hand, despite having surgery to attempt to repair the nerve damage.

“I suffered nerve damage and it hasn’t gotten better. I can’t move it,” he told People in 2010.

Morgan Freeman performs during the opening ceremony. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

Freeman raised eyebrows by playing an unexpected starring role in the ceremony – having been a leading face of one of the rival bids Qatar vanquished to win hosting rights for the tournament.

Back in 2010, the United States was competing with Qatar to be named the host of the 2022 World Cup. Freeman and former US president Bill Clinton were among the big names who travelled to Zurich, Switzerland to make a final pitch.

Freeman famously slipped up while reading his part of the presentation for the event, at one point pausing mid-sentence and apologising for accidentally skipping ahead in his script.

“I’m sorry, I missed a page,” he said at the time.

Qatar ultimately, and controversially, beat the US, Japan, South Korea and Australia.

As the opening ceremony began early on Monday morning, Australian time, Freeman lent his legendary voice to proceedings, appearing on stage with Qatari YouTuber Ghanim Al Muftah.

Morgan Freeman and Ghanim Al Muftah during the opening ceremony. Picture: Raul Arboleda/AFP

The pair lip synched through a prerecorded conversation. Picture: Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images

The pair lip-synched through a prerecorded conversation, which seemed to hint at some of the criticism Qatar has copped in the lead-up to the tournament.

“How can so many countries, languages and cultures come together, if only one way is accepted?” Freeman asked.

“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,” said Al Muftah.

“I can see it, for what unites us here in this moment is so much greater than what divides us. How can we make it last for more than just today?” said Freeman.

“With tolerance and respect, we can live together under one big home ... when we call you here, we welcome you into our home,” Al Muftah replied.

“So we gather here as one big tribe, and Earth is the tent we all live in,” Freeman said.

“Yes, and together we can send out the call for all the world to join us,” said the local star.

There has been sustained global criticism of Qatar for its human rights record, including its treatment of migrant workers, LGBTQ people and women.

On a less serious note, several sport and media figures noted how surprising it was for Freeman to be playing a central role in Qatar’s event, given his previous role with the rival US bid.

“Half-wondering if Morgan Freeman was a Qatari sleeper agent when he screwed up his presentation in Zurich for the US World Cup bid,” joked CBS football analyst Grant Wahl, for example.

Elsewhere it was suggested that Qatar was “trolling” by giving Freeman the gig.

Morgan Freeman was face of US bid to win right to host World Cup 2022. Here he is in December 2010, arriving Zurich to make final presentation. Qatar shocked world by winning hosting rights and today, Morgan Freeman is face of their opening ceremony. Epic Trolling on Global Scale pic.twitter.com/OeNi8VlYbr

— roger bennett (@rogbennett) November 20, 2022

Morgan Freeman at the World Cup opening ceremony.

We’re living a in a simulation. pic.twitter.com/lQscqDSjLo

— Barstool Football (@StoolFootball) November 20, 2022

They got Morgan Freeman… who was actually one of the voices of the failed US bid for 2022!

— Ben Jacobs (@JacobsBen) November 20, 2022

Later in the ceremony, Freeman hailed football’s ability to unite nations with disparate cultures around a single passion.

“Football unites nations around their love for the beautiful game. What brings together nations also brings together communities,” he said.

The crowd was also treated to a performance by South Korean pop star Jung Kook. He sang Dreamers, a song from the tournament’s official soundtrack.

The opening ceremony was to be followed by the first match of the Cup, between the host nation and Ecuador.