Nuri Sahin admitted he had "goosebumps" on his return to action for Borussia Dortmund 18 months after leaving them to join Real Madrid.
Sahin played the final five minutes of Dortmund's 5-0 win at Werder Bremen on Saturday, debuting for the club for the second time after returning on loan from the Spanish club for the next 18 months.
"It was pure goosebumps," he said.
"To get such a reception was out of the ordinary and I've got to thank those crazy fans, in a positive sense.
"I just couldn't wait to get onto the field again."
Sahin spent the last six months on loan at Liverpool, but made only fleeting appearances in their side.
He now hopes to return to the form which saw him voted as the Bundesliga's player of the year by his fellow professionals in 2012.
"Of course I want to play and I'll try to recommend myself in training," he told Sky television.
"I'm trying to be a very, very good option for the coach."
Bremen could certainly do with a player like Sahin after being humiliated in front of their own fans at the Weser Stadion.
"When you lose 5-0, then nothing can be good," said their captain Clemens Fritz.
Update:
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