| JOHN ARNE RIISE PROFILE
by Dave Usher Date of Birth - 24/09/80
Nationality - Norwegian
Position - Left Back/Midfield
Squad Number - 6
Cost - £4.6m
Club Hons (Lpool) - European Super Cup 2001, 2005; League Cup 2003; Champions League 2005; FA Cup 2006;
Club Hons (Other) - French Championship
Intnl Hons - Norway Caps
Other Clubs - Aalesund, Monaco |
It's fair to say that young Norwegian John Arne Riise was something of an unknown quantity amongst Liverpudlians (except those from Norway of course) when he arrived at Anfield in the summer of 2001.
Liverpool had been linked with him in the past, but given the fact that the last few years had seen us linked with almost every 'Carlos kickaball' in Europe and beyond, few will have taken the rumours seriously until the reds stole in at the11th hour to snatch the player from under the nose of Fulham boss Jean Tigana. There'd been speculation in the press for several weeks that the reds were preparing a bid for the powerhouse youngster, and the players mother - who also happened to be his agent at that time - more or less admitted that they were delaying signing for "the Cottagers" in the hope that Gerard Houllier would come in for him.
It didn't look like happening until a problem concerning a sell on clause put the blocks on his move to Fulham, and that's when Houllier stepped in. Riise's former club in Norway, Aalesund, claimed they were entitled to 25% of the £4m transfer fee Monaco were due to receive from Fulham, and Fulham were understandably reluctant to part with more then the agreed price. Whilst the parties concerned were haggling over who was entitled to what, Gerard made his move, and Riise flew into Anfield for talks and a medical ahead of a £4.6m switch to the reds. When the negotiations had concluded, Monaco received their £4m, whilst Aalesund settled for £600,000. Riise was so keen to join the reds that he waived a £75,000 payment which was owed to him by Monaco, just to allow the deal to go through without any further hitches. Such commitment to the cause should see him become a popular figure in the years ahead.
Riise arrived with an excellent pedigree. Tigana signed him up for Monaco when he was just 17 years of age. His time at Monaco was generally successful, although a falling out with the coach meant that his appearances during his final season in France were somewhat restricted. He had flourished under Tigana, and won the French title in his first full season at Monaco, and soon forced his way into the full Norwegian team, making his debut against Iceland in January 2000.
His debut season with the reds couldn't have gone any better, as he hit an impressive total of eight goals, including memorable strikes against Newcastle, Everton, Arsenal and of course THAT free-kick against the mancs. Whether it was at left back or further forward, John was a revelation, and was the only player to have appeared in every single league game. His popularity with the fans was assured after scoring against both the mancs and the bitters, and the "I wanna know..." song was one of the most memorable things to come out of the 2001/02 season.
The following season started well enough, with superb goals against Aston Villa and Blackburn suggesting that Riise would continue where he left off. It never worked out that way however, and the Norwegian endured a disappointing campaign, although his form did threaten to pick up briefly around the turn of the year and he scored another belter against the Gunners. The upturn in his form didn't last however, and the following season was little better. He was involved in most of the games though, as Houllier wasn't exactly overloaded with options on the left, and in the final month or so of the season did show some signs of recapturing the form which made him such a star in his first season at the club.
The arrival of Rafa Benitez as manager saw a significant turnaround in Riise's form, and the goals began to flow again. A great strike against Charlton was followed up with a well taken volley at Ewood Park, and a brace at West Brom. Another goal followed away at Norwich as the Norwegian relished the attacking licence given to him by Benitez, who encouraged him to 'shoot on sight.' The goals continued to flow, and Riise was an automatic selection that season, either at full back or further forward, and the Norwegian was part of the team that lifted the Champions League Trophy on that amazing night in Turkey.
The one disappointment for him was that he was the only Liverpool player not to score from the spot in the shoot out, his well placed kick being superbly saved by Milan keeper Dida. John would make up for that 12 months later however, as in yet another epic final Liverpool once again triumphed in a penalty shoot out after a 3-3 draw, this time against West Ham in the FA Cup. Riise had endured something of a nightmare performance, but he put it behind him to drive in a penalty past Shaka Hislop in the shoot out. The relief and outpouring of emotion as the ball hit the net was there for all to see, as he finally excorsised the demons that had been with him since Istanbul.
Riise had been more or less an ever present once more that season, alternating between defence and midfield, and still contributing with the usual array of spectacular goals. The signings in the summer of 2006 of Fabio Aurelio and Mark Gonzalez had appeared to put Riise's place under serious threat, but once more he was a fixture in the side and was certainly involved in more games than any other left sided player at the club.
