Liverpool had a healthy Scandinavian contingent during the 1990s, and John Arne Riise added to that contingent when he joined from AS Monaco in 2001.
He lifted a trophy immediately after his Reds debut, which came in that year’s UEFA Super Cup against Bayern Munich, and he immediately endeared himself to Kopites with a tremendous solo goal in a derby win at Goodison Park.
His knack for scoring against long-standing rivals continued with an unforgettable rocket of a free kick against Manchester United at Anfield in November 2001 and enjoyed a fine first campaign in English football as he helped Gerard Houllier’s side to finish second in the Premier League.
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The next couple of years were a bit of a struggle for the left-back, whose defensive work sometimes came in for criticism, but his fortunes improved after Rafael Benitez took over in the Anfield dugout in the summer of 2004.
He played all but one Premier League match in the Spaniard’s first season in charge and also helped the Reds to their epic Champions League final triumph in Istanbul.
It was he who provided the cross for Steven Gerrard to head in the first goal of the extraordinary comeback from 3-0 down against AC Milan, and although Riise’s penalty in the shootout was saved, it mattered not as Liverpool emerged victorious.
The Reds had multiple visits to Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium in the 2000s, and the Norwegian had some fine personal memories to take from a few of those.
He scored in the opening minute against Chelsea in the 2005 League Cup final (which we lost after extra time), netted from the spot in the FA Cup final shootout against West Ham the following year and scored an outstanding solo goal in the 2006 Community Shield against Jose Mourinho’s Blues.
Unfortunately, by the time of his seventh season at Anfield, the Norwegian’s left-back spot was frequently occupied by Fabio Aurelio, and the long-serving Scandinavian suffered the misfortune of a stoppage time own against Chelsea in the 2008 Champions League semi-final first leg.
Benitez sanctioned the defender’s exit from Liverpool that summer, a decision which left Riise in tears, and he joined AS Roma before returning to English football in 2011 with a three-year spell at Fulham.
A tenacious left-back with a penchant for spectacular goals, the Norwegian continues to be a hugely popular figure among Reds supporters who lived through his time on Merseyside. In an era when full-backs didn’t have anywhere near the same attacking licence as now, his enterprising nature would eventually hint at what was to coem from players in his position.