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JOHN ARNE RIISE WAS A POPULAR FIGURE DURING HIS TIME AT LIVERPOOL, BUT HIS CAREER ON MERSEYSIDE ENDED IN TEARS WHEN HE WAS BRUTALLY LET GO BY THEN-MANAGER RAFAEL BENITEZ 07:30, 22 May

2025Updated 07:30, 22 May 2025 John Arne Riise has recalled being reduced to tears after Rafael Benitez denied him a dignified Liverpool farewell. The Norwegian, known for his lethal left

foot, played for the Reds during the 2000s, lifting the Champions League trophy in 2005. But Riise was left devastated by the abrupt way his Anfield career ended in 2008, admitting he was

left crying in his car when informed that he had no future at the club. Just two matches short of making 350 appearances, his last game turned out to be the Champions League semi-final loss

to Chelsea. The former Roma and Fulham defender, now 44, told 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. 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." Article continues below At 27, Riise knew he couldn't afford to be benched for months and made a tough decision. He turned down

Benitez's offer of assistance in finding a new club and was denied a chance for a couple of farewell appearances. Riise, who would join Roma that summer, added: "He asked if I

needed help finding a new club but I didn't want his help, so I said no. Eager to reach 350 appearances for Liverpool, he asked Benitez for a chance to come on as a sub in the

season's last two games. Riise said: "He flatly replied 'no, no chance.' "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." Article

continues below The reason behind Benitez's decision remains a mystery to Riise, who maintains a good relationship with the Spaniard despite never discovering why he was shown the door.

He said: "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 three years in Italy with Roma, Riise returned to the Premier League with Fulham in 2011 before spells in Cyprus and India. He retired at the age of 36 before making

a brief playing comeback in 2023 with Avaldsnes in his homeland. _Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members

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