The 28-year-old Blues midfielder arrived from the bench in the 86th minute for PSV finalist Eindhoven against AZ Alkmaar on Wednesday to end a two-and-a-half-year knee injury.
The Dutch foreigner last noticed on a football field in May 2018.
Van Ginkel has been plagued by knee disorders during the component of the decade since Chelsea feeder Vitesse Arnhem’s meniscus was ripped off in 2011.
He broke his anterior cruciate ligament just as he started with the Blues, a 2-0 League Cup win over Swindon Town in September 2013, two months after arriving at Stamford Bridge for 8 million pounds.
After periods of assignment at AC Milan and Stoke in July 2018, after captaining the PSV as Eredivisie, Van Ginkel has returned the knife.
It required surgery to repair the cruciate ligament and treat knee condral damage.
The midfielder hoped to be away for 8 months, but it took him more than a year to return to the education court in Cobham.
The coronavirus pandemic stopped Van Ginkel’s attempts to return, however, he noticed education at the box in April 2020 on the Bridge, fueling hopes that he would soon compete again.
The Blues stood firm with their player by signing him on a new one-year contract in June after only four appearances in seven years.
Fancy a chance? TODAY’S BEST ODDS OF THE UK’S TOP BOOKIES
He returned to PSV on loan for the 2020–21 season in October, but additional headaches in his late recovery his return to action.
Chelsea congratulated her ace on her return with her career that may have ended at some point in her rehabilitation.
The club tweeted: “Marco van Ginkel played for PSV tonight, his first match in 32 months after a long break.
“Congratulations and welcome back, Marco!”
After his return game, which the PSV lost 3-1, Van Ginkel told ESPN: “Personally, it’s a highlight. I worked hard and it took time.
“Coming back now is a reward. Against Ajax I was back there, then I tried the atmosphere and had a bit of everything in the stadium. “
“Today I saw that anything had to be done when we were late. I had a few minutes, it’s great. “
Van Ginkel admitted that he had stopped counting the days and that the chances of his emotional return were diminishing.
The chimney never stopped burning. It was necessary, otherwise I would not have done it. “
He added: “At home, I’m going to put things in for a moment, that’s a lot. In the end I worked hard and I’m proud to be back. “
“A thousand days maximum? I just found out, yes. I finally stopped counting the days. They are not the important maximums either.
“I’m just running in my recovery, hoping I can play football again. There is also a time when this possibility is much lower. “
“I’ve had a lot of emotional things. In the end, I stay here, so a congratulations are appropriate, yes.
“The chimney never ceased to burn. It was necessary, otherwise I wouldn’t have done it. “
⚽ Read our Chelsea blog for the latest Bridge news
© News Group Newspapers Limited in England No. 679215 Headquarters: 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF. “The Sun”, “Sun”, “Sun Online” are registered trademarks or industry names of News Group Newspapers Limited. This service is provided under the popular terms and situations of News Group Newspapers ‘Limited, in accordance with our privacy and cookie policy. For information about a hardware replica license, our distribution site. Check out our online press kit. For any additional requests, please contact us. To view all the contents of The Sun, use the site map. Sun’s online page is regulated by the Independent Press Standards Organization (IPSO)
Our hounds aspire to precision, but we make mistakes. To learn more about our claims policy and register a claim, click this link: thesun. co. uk/editorial-complaints/