EXCLUSIVE | John Arne Riise: ‘Gérard Houllier was an amazing person and I miss him.’ | OneFootball

Get French Football News sat down with former Liverpool and Norway star John Arne Riise for a wide-ranging interview, during which we talked about his relationship with his first manager at Liverpool, the late Gérard Houllier.

Earlier you mentioned Claude Puel who is often cited as a big influence on young players. Was Gérard Houllier a big influence on you?

Yeah, Houllier bought me from Monaco to Liverpool. I was almost going to Fulham because Jean Tigana was manager of Fulham at the time and he wanted me to join him there. But then Houllier called my agent and in the last seconds we changed our mind and went to Liverpool.

Oh yeah – he was fantastic. At that time it was more like Phil Thompson and Sammy Lee who did the coaching sessions but he was always there, walking around, he was always talking to the players, he was always there to put an arm around you and trying to make you feel comfy. Obviously he knew me because I came from Monaco and I was young. But he started me straight away in the Community Shield against Manchester United when I played against David Beckham on the other side.

So yeah, he was a big influence and such an amazing person and character and I miss him. I was also there when he had his heart attack as well and when he came back for the Roma game. So I feel I’ve been through his hard times as well. It was an amazing time with him and I learned a lot.

John Arne Riise was speaking exclusively to Get French Football News courtesy of Wiz Slots

GFFN | Jeremy Smith