Bayern Munich centre-back Holger Badstuber never doubted that he would eventually return from his injury nightmare.
The 25-year-old played for the first time since 2012 when he featured for an hour in the German champions 3-0 friendly win over the Red Baroons fan club on Friday.
Badstuber ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament against Borussia Dortmund in December 2012 and suffered a recurrence of the injury in May last year.
Despite enduring a prolonged spell on the sidelines, Badstuber was always confident he would return and claims he is now playing pain free.
No, there was no doubt [that I might not return from injury]. I always knew I d get a chance here, playing free of any pain. I always looked forward and was very focused, he said.
I don t make any demands [on my knee]. I enjoy every training session. Obviously I want to improve.
I m feeling good. If I look back over the last year, in comparison with today, I have made such big steps.
I hope it will continue that way and then we will see what happens. It was a great feeling to finally be on the pitch with the team again.
It is very useful to have match practice, because it is certainly not like usual training. I m enjoying every second and I don t have any pain at all. I will continue to work hard and then we will see what happens.
