Champions League winner John Arne Riise has recalled the heartbreaking manner of his Liverpool departure, which left him crying in his car and stunned by Rafael Benitez
John Arne Riise
John Arne Riise was left devastated by the manner of his Liverpool departure(Image: Liverpool Echo)
John Arne Riise was left bawling his eyes out after being denied a proper Liverpool send-off by Rafael Benitez. The Norwegian spent seven years at Anfield in the 2000s and was part of the 2005 Champions League-winning side.
However, the manner of his departure in 2008 hit Riise hard, to such an extent that he was left weeping in his car after being told he had no future at the club. Having played in the Champions League semi-final defeat to Chelsea, Riise was just two games away from 350 appearances for the club.
However, the game at Stamford Bridge proved to be his last for the Reds as Benitez brutally informed him he was bringing in a replacement left-back, Andrea Dossena, that summer.
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Riise, now 44, recalled to BetMGM’s The LineUp: “I was in training and someone came down and told me the boss wanted to speak with me. With only two games left of the season, I thought it might be to discuss a new contract.
“He sat me down and with absolutely no warning at all, he told me it was best if we went our separate ways at the end of the season. I’m thinking with 348 games for Liverpool across seven seasons, I deserved a bit of an explanation.
“I knew they were bringing in Andrea Dossena because he had told me, so I had a choice to stay and fight for my place or leave.
A dejected John Arne Riise walks off after what would be the final game of his decorated Liverpool career
“However, we all know that, when a new player comes in, they can basically be as bad as they like for the first few months, and they’re still going to play.
“At the age of 27 I couldn’t risk sitting on the bench for five months until January. I knew what I needed to do.”
An upset Riise rejected Benitez’s offer of help to find a new club before being denied the chance of a couple of farewell appearances. He added: “He asked if I needed help finding a new club but I didn’t want his help, so I said no.
“Before I left I asked him if it was possible for me to come on as a sub for the last two games of the season so I could reach 350 appearances for the club. He flatly replied ‘no, no chance’.
Rafa Benitez and John Arne Riise
“I told my team-mates who, like me, were pretty confused and then I went and sat by myself in my car and cried. I called my agent, cried to him and he assured me that he’d find me a new club in a few days.
“It felt like I’d been given the sack. I was really disappointed but the one thing I will say is that I had a huge amount of respect that Rafa told me face-to-face. Even though he was brutally honest, he said it directly to me.
“I still to this day don’t know the reason why he wanted me to leave Liverpool. We have a good relationship and I’ve seen him plenty of times since but he has never told me why.”
After leaving Liverpool in 2008, Riise played for eight more clubs, including Roma, Fulham and spells in Cyprus and India before retiring for good in 2023.