Liverpool Lore: The Norwegian nightmare, John Arne Riise

At a club like Liverpool, not every player is going to steal the spotlight and dominate headlines. However, there are always players that are typically underrated by the rest of the world but astute fans know better. This could be the case for former Reds left-back John Arne Riise.

Riise spent seven marvelous years at Anfield and was a member of the historic 2005 Champions League winning side.

The Norwegian joined the Reds in the summer of 2001 for £4 million from French giants Monaco. It’s still amazing to look back at the transfer fees at that time and the club legends and fan favorites that were acquired for them.

He had a healthy return of 8 goals in his first season at the club including scoring against Arsenal, Newcastle United and Manchester United.

His work rate and constant endeavors down the left side instantly endeared him to Liverpool fans who connected with his tenacious fighting spirit.

As happened with a lot of players at the time, Riise saw a tick up in his form after the appointment of Rafa Benitez. He was a staple in the side and provided an assist in the aforementioned 2005 Champions League final.

However, it was moments of sheer brilliance that stick with you when remembering Riise’s time at Liverpool. With all of the chaos going on today, let’s remember this solo beauty against Chelsea, eh?

Riise was a player that wore both his own emotions and those of the fans on his sleeve. His never say die attitude was never more evident then in 2006 when he famously chastised teammates who doubted their chances of winning the League;

“We never give up. Cowards give up.”

I mean, it doesn’t get better than that, does it? There are players that have technical abilities. Others have rare physical gifts. It’s when you can see the true spirit of a player through how they play that resonates with you.

Riise was a player of that ilk. Was he the most gifted athlete? No. Were there better technical footballers? Sure, of course. But there were few that matched their heart and soul with a top tier game.

Liverpool brought in the Brazilian Fabio Aurelio who began staking his claim to the starting left-back spot during the 2007-08 season. He was a similar player in terms of having a sweet left foot, but he did not bring the extra “Liverpool” dimension that Riise could.

As it were, the club still preferred the Brazilian and after previously stating he wanted to play for Liverpool his whole career, Riise joined Italian side AS Roma in 2008.

His time in the Italian capital was probably the second best stint of his career with any team as he spent four years there making 136 appearances and scoring 11 goals.

However, that still did not come close to his 348 run-outs for Liverpool while smashing in 31 goals to go with 32 assists.

Today, Riise is the manager for women’s side Avaldsnes IL in Norway. This summer, he recently made a return to the playing field for the men’s side at 42 years young. He scored a penalty on his return and it appears he will be pulling double duty this season.

If that does not sum up the passion that the man with the thunderbolt left foot has, nothing will. There is nary a Liverpool fan that will have anything negative to say about him.

He left his own mark at one of the biggest clubs in football, and he did it with passion, grit and spirit that was matched by very few.

Keep your ears open, the next clap of thunder you hear might be Riise turning back the clock one more time. It’s a dream indeed.