Pablo Mari returned to action for Monza on Thursday night just two months after he was stabbed during an attack in a Milan supermarket.
Mari, who joined Monza on a season-long loan from Arsenal in the summer, was one of six people stabbed at a shopping centre in the Italian capital back in October.
The Spanish defender was taken to hospital after the attack, in which one person was killed, and was told he was 'lucky' to avoid life-threatening injuries as he underwent surgery.
Mari, pictured in hospital with wife Veronica Chacon, was one of six people stabbed in Milan
After going under the knife to reconstruct two muscles in his back, Mari spent two months out of action while recovering before resuming training last week, and on Thursday he made his long-awaited return in Monza's friendly against Lyon.