Liverpool favourite John Arne Riise made headlines earlier this month after coming out of retirement at the age of 42, six years after hanging up his boots, and actually scoring on his playing return.
The Norwegian, who is head coach of Avaldsnes’ women's side in his homeland, last played professionally back in 2017 for SK Rollon. But he has now stepped out of retirement to play for Avaldsnes men’s side.
Making his playing return earlier this month, the defender started on the bench against Rubbestadnes IL in the Norwegian fifth tier. And he’d enjoy the perfect return for Avaldsnes, who were already 3-0 up when Riise came on shortly after the interval, as they ended up recording an emphatic 9-2 victory with the Liverpool legend even scoring a 73rd-minute penalty.
“It was a bad penalty,” he told NRK after the game. “I wanted to [smash it], but I got a stretch just before so I didn’t dare shoot hard.
READ MORE: Why Liverpool want to make Khephren Thuram their next midfield signing
READ MORE: Join the Liverpool ECHO's LFC transfer news and top stories WhatsApp community
“[I] placed it badly, but enough for the ‘keeper not to save. [It was] nice to score in the first match [back].”
At least he scored it, though, with Riise admitting last year that he has been unable to watch back Liverpool's famous 2005 Champions League final win over AC Milan because he is still angry with himself for his penalty shootout miss.
"I’ve only watched the game back once, two years ago, and that was only because I had to for work. I don’t watch it because I missed my penalty," Riise said speaking exclusively to Ladbrokes. "I had severe cramp by the time the shootout came around … so when I walked up to take my penalty, I didn’t know what I was going to do.
"I put the ball on the spot, walked back and turned around to begin my run-up; it was only at that moment I decided [to change] what I was going to do. It’s the only time in my life I haven’t done what I should have done: smash it.
"Even though it’s by far the biggest moment of my life, winning the Champions League, I’m just so annoyed with myself. It hit me afterwards that I just should’ve scored my penalty."
Now seemingly now still going strong in his 40s, it’s actually remarkably 15 years since Riise’s Liverpool career came to an end. A firm fan-favourite after joining from AS Monaco in a £4m deal in the summer of 2001, he would end up winning the Champions League, FA Cup, League Cup, and the European Super Cup during his seven seasons at Anfield.
However, that didn’t stop his Reds career from coming to an unsavoury end as the Norwegian’s future was taken out of his own hands and he was ultimately forced out by Rafa Benitez in the summer of 2008 at the age of 27.
In truth, the left-back’s standards had arguably slipped in his final two seasons with Liverpool as he fought with Fabio Aurelio for a starting role, with only the Brazilian’s injury record ensuring he didn’t retain the position permanently.
In January 2008, Riise would score an own goal against Luton Town in the FA Cup after failing to defend a cross coming in from the right. Then three months later he would do the exact same against Chelsea in the Champions League semi-finals, gifting the Londoners what would prove to be a decisive 90th-minute away goal.
Starting the 3-2 second leg defeat a week later, it would prove to be his final appearance for the club as Benitez called him into his office to tell him he would be sold and wouldn’t be involved for the remaining games of the season.
“He smiled at me from behind his desk. Then he said: ‘I think it’s time we go our separate ways’,” Riise recalled in his 2018 autobiography. “‘You could benefit from new challenges and we’ve bought a new left-back that we intend to rely on’…
“Liverpool had purchased Andrea Dossena from Udinese for £7million, but that kind of thing had happened before. On each occasion I had accepted the challenge and emerged victorious from it.
“So I hadn’t expected this. I just sat there, half in shock…. ‘You’re a big name, you can play anywhere at all. We’ll help you find another club if you like’.
“‘Can I play the last matches?’ was all I could say. For some reason it was important that I reach 350 matches and an exact average of 50 per season. Benitez just shook his head… I’d got the sack, plain and simple…”
Despite his exit, Riise does still hold Benitez in the highest of regards. It was just a case of his manager no longer wanting him in his squad, with the defender going on to sign for Roma in a £4m deal on this day back in 2008.
Liverpool would arguably end up regretting Riise’s exit, with Dossena, Paul Konchesky, Jose Enrique and Alberto Moreno all struggling as left-back became a problem position for the Reds for the best part of a decade. Fortunately the arrival of Andy Robertson in 2017 at least saw Jurgen Klopp solve such a dilemma.
Riise, who registered 31 goals and 36 assists from 348 appearances for Liverpool, would go on to enjoy three-year stints with Roma and Fulham, before winding his career down in Cyprus, India and Norway with brief stints at APOEL, Delhi Dynamos, Aalesund, Chennaiyin and Rollen.
But having now dusted off his boots, it would appear, even in the fifth tier of Norwegian football, there is life in the old dog yet, with Riise just happy to still be involved in football.
"It's probably the first time that I'm happy to be benched from the start!” he said of his recent playing return. "I feel the pressure, but I have nothing to prove. I have done my bit in my career.
“It's more to keep me involved in football and have something to do in my spare time between all the work. I'm looking forward to it and I hope that the coach thinks I'm good enough to come up with some things.
“It's fantastic fun to train with the guys, the dressing room culture. Sit in the dressing room and have messages thrown at you. They have zero respect for what you have done in the past.
“That's one you missed. Getting on the grass and playing football without being so unbelievably serious, that's what's fun.”
READ NEXT
