Redondo makes debut - at last

The Argentinian star joined Milan after lifting the Champions League with Real, but that final in 2000 was to be his last competitive game for nearly two years.

After being signed by Milan for £11.1 million Redondo picked up a serious knee ligament injury that has haunted him ever since - beginning a litany of disaster.

However, the midfielder finally made his debut for his club playing 45 minutes of a Coppa Italia match against Ancona that ended in a 1-1 draw.

"I had some really difficult moments, especially last year, when it seemed I couldn't return to playing," said Redondo, who received an enormous welcome from the fans.

"But even through the rough times I never thought about leaving football.

"I agreed to play just one half with the Milan medical staff, and I'll continue in a similar fashion for a while.

"But the most important thing is that my knee came up with the answers for every question I asked of it."