Kakkanad: For millions of football fans, the exit of Brazil from the 2022 FIFA World Cup quarterfinal was a heartbreaking sporting moment. For 26-year-old Akshay Kalappurakkal of Parakkamugal, however, it became a life-altering tragedy that has left him bedridden ever since.

An ardent admirer of the Brazilian football team and a talented footballer who had represented several local clubs, Akshay, fondly known as Achu, was watching the quarterfinal against Croatia with friends on a giant screen in his locality. Moments after the final whistle confirmed Brazil’s elimination, he collapsed. He has never been able to stand on his feet again.

Doctors believe the emotional shock triggered a hypertensive crisis that led to his collapse. Akshay was found unconscious at the venue where the giant screen had been erected and rushed to hospital, where he was diagnosed with a blood clot in the brain. Friends, relatives and local residents later joined hands to raise funds for his treatment.

Four years later, as Brazil took on Morocco on Sunday morning, Akshay’s friends gathered once again at his home. They spoke to him about the match, unsure whether he could comprehend what they were saying. But when they noticed a response that was more pronounced than usual, it brought a rare moment of hope and happiness to his family and friends.

Akshay’s father, K T Purushothaman, is a head-load labourer, and the family also comprises his mother, Jaya, and a younger sister. On Saturday, friends and volunteers of Kanivu Home Care visited his home and, along with his mother, dressed him in a Brazil jersey, hoping to rekindle the passion that once defined his life and perhaps stir memories that still endure.

The initiative was led by municipal councillor C A Nishad, Kanivu Village secretary N K Pradeep, T A Sugathan, M A Mohanan, Basheer Marakkar and K R Manju, among others.