Kaka came on as a second-half substitute to help Milan beat Hanover 3-2 in a friendly on Wednesday night.

The Brazil playmaker, who turned down a move to Manchester City for a world-record fee on Monday, looked in good form against the Bundesliga side.

Milan's new Brazilian defender Thiago Silva, unable to play in competitive games until next season as he is a non-EU player, made a steady debut and David Beckham was effective in midfield.

Hanover led through Szabolcs Huszti's 10th-minute strike before Andriy Shevchenko and a Filippo Inzaghi brace, either side of Mike Hanke's equaliser, sealed victory for the Serie A team.

Before Milan struck an agreement to play Wednesday's friendly in Hanover, their representatives had travelled to Malta to explore the possibility of staging the match at the National Stadium, as reported in The Sunday Times of January 11.

It is believed that the agents tasked with organising this friendly match for Milan had expressed a strong interest in having the Serie A giants play in Malta after their successful winter training camp here two years ago.

Discussions were held with Malta FA officials and other parties but financial terms could not be agreed, leading the organisers to consider alternative venues before their choice fell on Hanover.

The prospect of Milan taking on a Maltese selection or a foreign team at Ta' Qali would surely have generated great interest among local football fans, especially those who support the Rossoneri.

Furthermore, the hype surrounding Kaka's decision to reject a big-money transfer to Manchester City as well as David Beckham's early performances in his loan spell with Milan, made the friendly match an attractive proposition for the international media.