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John Arne Riise has told a former Liverpool team-mate he finds it 'weird' when he talks about him (Image: Liverpool TV)
John Arne Riise has confessed he will never be friends with former Liverpool team-mate Craig Bellamy and finds it 'strange' when he publicly discusses the notorious incident where he attacked him with a golf club. The shocking event took place in February 2007, while the pair were training in the Algarve with Rafa Benitez's side, preparing to face Barcelona, the reigning European champions at the time, in the Champions League round-of-16.
Following a disagreement earlier in the evening, Bellamy infamously stormed into Riise's hotel room and assaulted him with a golf club. Remarkably, both players scored in Liverpool's memorable 2-1 victory at Camp Nou just days later, with Bellamy celebrating his goal with a golf swing before Riise's late winner.
The entire saga has etched an indelible mark on Liverpool's modern history. If you search for 'Craig Bellamy' on Google, 'Craig Bellamy golf club' is the second most suggested term, followed by 'Craig Bellamy John Arne Riise'. Their names are forever linked due to the altercation 17 years ago. Both have been repeatedly questioned about the incident over the years, with Bellamy sharing his account of the events on The Overlap as recently as last October.
While Riise has extended forgiveness to Bellamy, acknowledging the incident was out of character for the Welshman despite his reputation for being outspoken, he concedes that a friendship between them is off the cards, with Riise preferring to keep Bellamy out of his life.
At the same time, Riise has expressed his bemusement at Bellamy's recounting of the event, highlighting that the former Liverpool forward was intoxicated at the time and implying that his version may not be entirely accurate.
"I don't think what happened with Craig Bellamy should have happened between two teammates," Riise reflected in an interview with BoyleSports. "But it can happen when you are not in a good place in your life mixed with alcohol. You do things you normally wouldn't and regret.
"It's certainly something I will never forget although obviously I can forgive, which I did after it happened because I knew Bellamy and that's not who he is. Even though he is big-mouthed, he's not that kind of guy. Obviously we made up and three days after we scored against Barcelona.
Craig Bellamy celebrated with a golf swing after scoring against Barcelona (Image: Getty)
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"But what I do feel is weird is that I've seen him talk about it on a few podcasts saying stuff, and what he says is in my opinion is not exactly how it went. I'm also surprised he remembers everything because he was drunk. But it is what it is. He apologised and he knew and said lately it shouldn't have happened, and he's put his hands up, so I accept that."
"We're not friends and we won't be friends, he's not a person I want to have in my life because of what happened. But at the same time, people make mistakes, massive mistakes, and it's all about apologising and moving on. He's not a person I need in my life and I won't have in my life, so I wish him all the best. Life goes on."
