Former Swansea forward Michu says he was nervous before making his debut for Spanish amateur side Langreo, but is just happy to be back playing football at any level.
Michu, 29, scored 22 times for the Swans during the 2012-13 season as the Welsh side won the Capital One Cup Cup, while he also made his senior debut for Spain in a World Cup qualifier against Belarus in October 2013.
However, a persistent ankle injury took a huge toll on his career and after an unsuccessful spell on loan at Napoli last season, his contract was rescinded by Swansea in November.
On Thursday night he played his first game in almost a year, coming on as a substitute in Langreo's 3-0 Tercera Division win over local rivals Covadonga.
"It seems strange that I would get nervous now, but I was," he told AS afterwards. "It was hard to sleep last night."
Langreo are coached by Michu's older brother Hernan Perez, and located close to the pair's home city of Oviedo in northern Spain. In another twist, the brother of his former rival for a spot in the Spanish squad, Alvaro Negredo, was playing for opposition team Covadonga.
The 800 fans at the Estadio Ganzabal was a bumper crowd for such a usually low-profile regional amateur game, and they cheered when the locally-born Michu entered the pitch during the second half.
The Asturian said that he was pleased with how things were now turning out.
"What I am looking for is to be happy," Michu said. "I am comfortable here at Langreo, so I am happy."