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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.

Article continues belowRiise after what proved to be his final Liverpool match(Image: Catherine Ivill/AMA/Corbis via Getty Images)

“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.

We have a good relationship and I’ve seen him plenty of times since but he has never told me why.”

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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.


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