John Arne Riise denounces Craig Bellamy, “loud mouth”, for continuing to talk about the famous bankruptcy of the Liverpool teammates’ golf club in 2007… while he advises Roberto De Zerbi to succeed Jurgen Klopp at Anfield

John Arne Riise has called out former Liverpool teammate Craig Bellamy for continuing to talk about their extraordinary breakdown during a training camp in Portugal in 2007.

Ahead of a last-16 tie against Barcelona in the Champions League, the team was preparing at a seaside resort in the Algarve, and on a night off, Riise and Bellamy reportedly fell out after the latter tried to convince the first to participate. at karaoke.

Riise allegedly told Bellamy to “shut up or I’ll crush you!”, to which Bellamy responded, “I’ll kill you, you ginger bastard.” !’

According to his 2018 memoir Running Man, Riise later woke up to find Bellamy standing over him with a golf club alongside teammate Steve Finnan. The former Wales international allegedly threw the club at him several times, causing bruising to his legs and hip.

But in recent podcast appearances, Bellamy appeared to dispute Riise’s version of events – something the former Norway international took umbrage with.

The team had traveled to Portugal ahead of a Champions League clash with Barcelona.

Bellamy and Riise then scored at the Camp Nou just days after their difficult encounter.

“I don’t think what happened with Craig Bellamy should have happened between two teammates, but it can happen when you’re not in a good place in your life mixed with alcohol,” Riise said at BoyleSports. “You do things you wouldn’t normally do and you regret it.

“It’s definitely something I’ll never forget, although I can obviously forgive, what I did after it happened because I knew Bellamy and that’s not who he is. Even s ‘He talks a lot, he’s not that kind of guy.

Bellamy was later forced to apologize to Riise by Liverpool and was fined £80,000.

Just days after the incident, Riise and Bellamy scored in the Reds’ win over the Blaugrana at the Camp Nou – with the latter famously celebrating his strike by imitating the swing of a golf club.

“Obviously we caught up and three days later we scored against Barcelona,” Riise continued.

“But what I find weird is I’ve seen him talk about it on a few podcasts saying things, and what he’s saying, in my opinion, is not exactly how it happened.”

“I’m also surprised he remembers everything because he was drunk. But it’s like that. He apologized and he knew it and said lately that this shouldn’t have happened, and he raised his hand, so I accept that.

“We’re not friends and we won’t be, he’s not a person I want to have in my life because of what happened. But at the same time people make mistakes, mistakes huge, and it’s all about apologizing and moving on.

‘He’s not a person I need in my life and I won’t have one in my life, so I wish him all the best. Life goes on.’

In 2022, Bellamy described how tensions before the karaoke incident had risen due to Riise’s alleged cheating during a round of golf with himself and Robbie Fowler, and how he discovered Riise had lied about his trip to Norway for attending a Christmas party in Liverpool.

Bellamy – who was later forced to apologize and fined £80,000 – celebrated his goal with a gesture mimicking a golf swing.

Riise played for the Reds between 2001 and 2008 (pictured in 2005) before leaving for Roma

Subsequently fined for his actions, Bellamy said Riise had to participate in karaoke “as part of his fine.”

“So I was like ‘you have to sing’ but he was refusing so my head was like ‘I’ve had enough of you, no, you sing’,” Bellamy added.

“He kind of came back to me and said ‘no, I’m not singing, now mind your own business’.” I gave up, I was with Sami Hyypia because we have the same agent and he told me “forget it”.

“You know, when it comes to just chewing you up and drinking too. So he left, I remember staying behind and me and Steve Finnan going back to our room,” Bellamy continued.

“And I said to myself, ‘I don’t accept this, I don’t accept what he did there.’ So I took my club, I went to his room, I knocked at the door. Daniel Agger shares with him. (Riise) put it on the latch because he thinks it’s Daniel Agger.

“So I open the door, I come in, he’s in bed, I smacked him on the legs and I said to him ‘you already talk to me like that in front of anyone, I’m going to put this around you the head'”.

‘That was it. I went there, it was a little more bullshit.

At the time, Riise said the most important thing the players had to do was move on from the incident, stressing that it took “courage” but that they were both tough players. ‘team.

“We both had a difficult week after Portugal, but we had the courage to put all the problems behind us. Craig and I are men, we are mature, we are team players,” said continued Riise. “We talked about what happened, but the important thing was that we agreed that we can put this behind us and we are happy.”

Bellamy is now an assistant coach under Vincent Kompany at Burnley

Riise also shared his thoughts on the possibility of Roberto De Zerbi succeeding Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool.

As well as dwelling on the past, Riise shared his thoughts on who should succeed Jurgen Klopp at Anfield at the end of the season, naming Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi as his preferred candidate.

“The next Liverpool manager depends on the direction the club wants to take,” he added. “I love what De Zerbi has done at Brighton. He would be a perfect fit because he is so focused on who he is that he doesn’t change, he goes his own way. I would love to see him at Liverpool.

“It depends on the direction they want to take and Klopp’s admiration for De Zerbi is also a factor. Klopp, one way or another, will give the club insight into how they should move forward and who he should go for and I think De Zerbi is one of the top contenders and I would love to have him.

Liverpool are reportedly in advanced talks with Sporting CP manager Ruben Amorim after their favorite rival – Riise’s former teammate Xabi Alonso – confirmed he will continue his stay at Bayer Leverkusen next season.