The Greens fans finally caught a glimpse of the former Chelsea star, who had been battling injuries since joining in August

Panathinaikos midfielder Michael Essien returned from injury to play his debut game in the Greek Super League on Saturday.
The 32-year-old Ghanaian joined the Greens as a free agent from AC Milan last August, but had to wait for three months before playing his first official league game due to a troublesome knee injury.
With no signs of weakness, Essien played the full throttle, manning the midfield alongside Sergio Sanchez and Mehdi Abeid.
However, it was Apostolos Vellios' 23rd minute strike that proved to be the match winner for Iraklis as Panathinaikos' title ambitions took a giant slide, falling 12 points behind leaders Olympiakos Piraeus.
The former Chelsea star may be handed another opportunity by coach Andrea Stramaccioni when Panathinaikos lock horns with Panachaiki on December 3.

Essien won two English Premier League titles with the Blues as well as four FA Cup titles

Sports 01:45