Latest news with #JohnArneRiise
The Sun
a day ago
- Sport
- The Sun
Baller League Legends ratings: John Arne Riise and Balotelli shine but Arsenal cult hero gets a 1/10
MOUSSA DEMBELE is perhaps best known for being the toughest opponent your favourite player has ever faced - or the player who was the best any ex-Spurs star has ever seen. So when he was announced to be playing at the O2 Arena alongside Mario Balotelli, Ravel Morrison and John Arne Riise, fans came flocking. 6 The former pros lined up against KSI, Chunkz, George Clarkey and more in what was a spectacular Legends vs Influencers match decided by Niko Omilana missing a crucial penalty. SunSport's LLOYD CANFIELD rated the legendary players performances… JENS LEHMANN - 1 Unfortunately age catches up with all of us, and it seems to have done so with once-invincible goalkeeper. Failed to stop a number of shots that he got a hand to, but the 55-year-old was simply too slow to react to most of them - though one admittedly was a screamer from EmanSV2. PASCAL CHIMBONDA - 5 Didn't blow any minds with his performance, but wasn't really poor either. Pretty standard showing from the Barclaysman defender who would've been a blast from the past for most watching. 6 JOHN ARNE RIISE - 10 Wow! He's still got that left foot rocket in his locker, let's just say that. Hit the crossbar with a thunderbolt from range which alerted the keeper, before crashing home a screamer in the dying moments to level the scoring and send the game to penalties. Textbook Riise - Liverpool can save themselves a pretty penny on signing Milos Kerkez and just bring this beast back instead. LUKE CHAMBERS - 5 Much the same as Pascal Chimbonda, Chambers didn't really stand out what so ever and was largely overshadowed by the bigger names on the pitch. Mostly forgettable. JAY-JAY OKOCHA - 7 Scored a classy header that was unfortunately ruled out by the referee, it was the same Okocha we saw against Arsenal all those years ago - just much older. A legend of the game who still gave it his all and tried to entertain the crowd with a few silky touches and delicate passes. Didn't have the pace or engine he once possessed, but still impressed overall. MOUSSA DEMBELE - 9 The man of the moment looked like he still had it, running the show in the middle of the park for his time. You could still see echoes of the player he once was, impossible to get the ball away from and such a powerful presence with the ball at his feet. Dominated for large parts of the game and still had the silky feet and ability to pick a pass that he always had. 6 RAVEL MORRISON - 5 The ex- Manchester United wonderkid probably would've had a better rating were it not for the brilliance either side of him. Good on the ball and came close with a header that was flicked towards goal. Didn't blow anyone's socks off, but it was a solid performance from the former Red Devil. LEE TRUNDLE - 4 The highlight of his showing was sending KSI tumbling to the floor after a collision, but it must be said he gave it his all pulling off some of his trademark skills. The Football League cult hero was an entertaining watch, but didn't seem to have the end product or cutting edge he needed to get the better of the Influencer defenders all that often. MARIO BALOTELLI - 8 The man that most were excited to see, it was just a pleasure to see Super Mario back on the pitch with a ball at his feet. The ex- Liverpool and Manchester City striker still had a bit too, with some silky touches and passes, and a goal to boot! There was no trademark celebration or boasting from a man who has clearly matured since his playing days - but a showing more reminiscent of a classy Italian midfielder. Stuck around and took pictures with fans and players alike, which was lovely to see.
Daily Mail
25-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Meet the running-obsessed Liverpool cult hero who ran a marathon on a treadmill on CHRISTMAS DAY and completed a 24-hour challenge without training - as star shows off remarkable body transformation
For former Liverpool defender John Arne Riise, the unrelenting search for athletic greatness didn't end when he hung up his boots back in 2016. His drive to compete on the biggest stage in the beautiful game may have dissipated, but as an elite athlete, the motivation to challenge yourself both physically and mentally never goes away. It's not as easy as turning off the competitive switch in your brain. Yes, athletes retire, but the fire is always in their bellies to push athletic boundaries and satisfy their desires to be the best. It's a high that the cut above will always crave. That's certainly the case when it comes to Riise, at least. In football, he reached the pinnacle by winning the Champions League in 2005 in the most miraculous way possible. The sense of achievement after lifting Ol' Big Ears is simply unmatchable - it's what every professional footballer dreams of as a youngster - but 20 years on from the fateful day in Istanbul, the former Norway international has found another way to fulfill his yearning for the feeling of athletic accomplishment. Riise, who played 348 times across seven years on Merseyside, has traded his football boots for running shoes. The 44-year-old now pushes his body and brain to the limits, even more so than on the football pitch, through the means of extreme challenges. 'For me, the physical and mental toughness is harder in the running,' Riise tells Mail Sport. Believe it or not, this is Riise's response to being asked to compare 'Miracle of Istanbul' to his recent remarkable running challenge. A gruelling 120 minutes against an AC Milan team, who were widely considered unbeatable in 2005, in a Champions League final wasn't as challenging as 24 hours on a treadmill. No, you are not hallucinating. In February, Riise took part in a charity running event in which had to complete 24 hours on a treadmill, only taking short breaks to go to the toilet. It's hard to imagine that feeling of getting off it at the end of it all. What's even more impressive is that Riise was one of only four competitors to complete the challenge entirely on his own. The majority taking part were relay teams, with runners taking on segments before switching. The ex-Red notched up an incredible 172km (106 miles) across a weekend in February. That's slightly over four marathons. Imagine that, running marathon, after marathon, all in the span of 24 hours. The thought of running just one is enough to frighten 99.99 per cent of the world's population, let alone four on the bounce. It was all for a good cause. The aim of the event was to raise money for a mental health charity, with more than 250,000 Norwegian Krone (£17,850) brought together by the time it was finished. For such an extreme challenge like that, you'd expect most runners to prepare properly with a training plan over roughly 12 or 16 weeks. Surely nobody is silly enough to just run having not trained. Wrong. Riise managed to make what was already a mental challenge even harder for himself. 'I didn't train for it,' Riise continued. 'I didn't know what I went into. I just went up and ran. Walk, run, go to the toilet, break, and repeat. 'I was asked three weeks before if I wanted to join in for a couple of hours, and then I did the whole thing. The longest I [had] ran was two or three hours, so I didn't know what I was going into. 'In football, my body is used to it, I'd prepared for it, I'd trained for it, it was my thing. But running like that was not. It was so hard for my body and my muscles. 'I had a guy next to me, and we were four people who were running the whole thing, he came up to me and said, "Johnny, good news, we have run six hours now... bad news, we have 18 left". 'It was just killing me! 'If I do it again, I am going to go further because now I know what I am getting into. I know what is expected. I would like to do it again, I want to hit the 200km mark.' While Riise didn't specifically train for the event, there was a good reason why he was still in good enough shape to complete it. His base fitness is through the roof, and that's because of the treadmill running he does throughout the year. Riise was on Norwegian reality TV show '16 weeks of hell' where he was tested to the limit Many people are not fans of treadmill running. There's nothing quite like exploring the outdoors. Well, for Riise planting his feet on the tarmac doesn't quite provide as much of a mental challenge as smashing into a rubber belt for hours on end. Being at one with the running machine is something that the Norwegian does to push his limits. He does this year-round, including on days when most of us couldn't fathom doing exercise. No holidays are off-limits. 'I love running. On Christmas Day, I woke up at 6am and did a marathon on the treadmill by myself,' Riise continues. 'I want to test myself mentally. Physically, I know I can run a marathon on a treadmill, but for me, it's more about being able to stand on that treadmill for three and a half hours, it's a mental toughness that I am trying to test myself. 'I had never done a marathon before, and I finished in three hours and 27 minutes.' Riise almost looks in the same shape as he did during his glory days in red. He has always been known for his strong build - his power was what made him a star at Anfield, and these days it looks like he could still get the kit on and put in a shift. However, it hasn't always been like that for Riise following retirement. In fact, his latest extreme challenge was the culmination of a weight loss journey that he has been on over the past 18 months. Last year, Riise was one of six contestants in a Norwegian reality TV show titled '16 Weeks of Hell', which is a series where celebrities were pushed to their physical breaking point and underwent a strict diet to turn their fitness around. The result of the show for Riise was a return to the shape he had always been while on the football pitch. 'I want to become a machine again,' Riise once said, and well, a machine he now is. He has no intentions of slowing down either. The 44-year-old only wants to continue stomping, whether that be in races in which he can 'test myself', or back on the treadmill. Riise has a lot in the works, and has no intention of putting the pounds back on. 'I'm doing the Oslo Marathon in September, they asked, and I said yes again, stupidly,' he jokes.
Daily Mail
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
TV REVIEW: 'Miracle of Istanbul' is nostalgia on steroids for Liverpool fans - and has a unique way of tapping into moments from memorable campaign
If you utter the words 'Miracle of Istanbul' to a football fan, they instantly know what you are on about. Even those who were born after the fateful day in 2005, when Liverpool made history at the Ataturk Stadium, will be able to recite what happened. Those famous six minutes. The six minutes of madness that turned The Reds' Champions League final with AC Milan into an all-time classic. The six minutes are the only reason I am sitting down and writing this article. We all know the story. At 8.30pm on May 26, 2005, Liverpool's dreams of a fifth European Cup had seemingly been crushed. It was seemingly all over, well, until it wasn't. Three goals in six second-half minutes changed everything, and you know the rest. You still may not believe it, but you know it happened. It's always about those six minutes, or that Jerzy Dudek double save, or the fact that the Pole waltzed about three metres off his line for every single spot-kick in the penalty shootout. But the 'Miracle in Istanbul' isn't just about one night; it's about the magical route there. As John Arne Riise, who started the final, tells Mail Sport, 'The road to Istanbul was most remarkable.' 20 years on, TNT Sports' one-hour-long documentary, which is set to premiere at 21:45 on Sunday 25 May, takes you through the highs and lows of Liverpool's journey to that meeting with Milan. Now, as I said, you've all seen this story a thousand times. Search 'Miracle of Istanbul' and hundreds of videos about that momentous occasion come up. Each one tries to find a new angle, but most fail. That's the thing, it's hard to find a new angle on a story that everybody knows about. So, how could this story be told in a new light? How can you get an audience hooked? How can you tap into the memories of the Liverpool fans in a different way? TNT Sports have had a fairly good crack at it. The documentary takes you right back to the start of the 2004-05 season and all the way to the final. In fact, the final doesn't even take up half of the watch time. You relive everything from that Steven Gerrard winner against Olympiacos in the group stage, to Luis Garcia's ghost goal in the semi-final against Chelsea. It's all about the journey. If you are a Liverpool fan, you are going to love it. For those who were alive in 2005, this documentary will take you right back to the glory days. For football fans of rival teams, though, it's probably not for you - it's not meant to be. It's meant to allow Reds supporters to tap into their memory banks and reminisce with memories that have been forgotten in the past 20 years. The documentary is nostalgia on steroids, and anybody in connection with Liverpool will want the juice. In the current era, where documentaries need to have fly-on-the-wall footage, and everything requires behind-the-scenes clips to make them groundbreaking, this is a throwback to good old storytelling. Rafael Benitez, Steve McManaman, Gerrard, Riise, Dudek, and Vladimir Smicer all take you through their own experiences of that season in the Champions League. They give you an insight into what was running through their minds at the time. Whether that be Riise's regret of going against 'who I am', or Gerrard still not being able to believe what happened. It taps into all the emotions of the rollercoaster that season was. Arguably, the most thrilling part of the ride was the famous semi-final second leg against Chelsea. Yep, the ghost goal one. Over the last 20 years, Anfield has had many special nights, whether that be the miraculous 4-0 win over Barcelona or the stunning comeback against Borussia Dortmund back in 2016, but that night against Jose Mourinho's all-conquering Chelsea side will always stand out. 'What I remember from that game, when it comes to atmosphere, was when the fourth official put up six minutes of injury time, that's when Anfield just lifted. It was unbelievable,' Riise continues. 'That atmosphere was the best atmosphere I have ever played in.' Every player and fan who talks in the documentary recalls it in the same way, and the archived footage backs it up beautifully. It shows the roar after Garcia's goal, and even though you are watching it on television, your eardrums could still burst. I advise you to turn the volume down when you get to that part. And this section of the documentary shows what TNT have done so well - they let the footage do the talking. The outpouring of emotion will funnel through the screen and into Liverpool fans' hearts as they relive what truly was a one-of-a-kind European Cup triumph.
Time Out
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
Bangkok turns red on May 25 for the Liverpool victory parade
If there's one thing that unites Thai sports fans, it's football and few clubs fire up the passion like Liverpool. On any given weekend, Bangkok's pubs and bars are packed with fans cheering on the Reds. Now, with the club securing their historic 20th English top-flight title in the 2024–25 Premier League season, the celebration is coming to the streets. On May 25, Bangkok turns red as Liverpool fans gear up for a full-blown city-centre parade. Free to attend, the parade will feature a decorated vehicle carrying special guests, travelling from 4pm-6pm through key spots including Central World, Victory Monument and Central Ladprao. The celebration kicks off at 1pm with lively activities at Central World Square, igniting the energy for a day filled with fanfare and fun. And if that doesn't sound exciting enough, here's the icing on the cake: one of Liverpool's legendary figures, John Arne Riise, has been confirmed to join the parade, giving fans a rare chance to meet the legend without having to fly all the way to Anfield. After missing the chance to celebrate the Premier League victory in 2019 due to the pandemic, this is the first time Thai Liverpool fans have organised a public celebration on this scale. Stay tuned for more updates, as additional legendary players might be joining the festivities.
CNA
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- CNA
CNA938 Rewind - From the Premier League to Personal Growth
CNA938 Rewind Liverpool legend and Champions League winner John Arne Riise joins Noor Farhan and Susan Ng on Your Singapore Weekend to share why self-belief is the cornerstone of success — whether you're chasing football dreams or forging your own path in life. He was in town for a local youth football initiative and also offered advice to young Singaporeans on taking bold steps toward a playing career in Europe.
