John Arne Riise, described by BT.dk as a ‘Liverpool legend’, has accused his nation’s press of trying to destroy him and his reputation.
Riise is something of an icon in his native Norway, having racked up 234 appearances for Liverpool between 2001 and 2008.
He also enjoyed spells at the likes of Roma and Fulham, as well as making over 100 appearances for the national side in a career spanning two decades.
Playing for such big clubs, particularly Liverpool, who are undeniably one of the biggest in Europe, means that he remains in the spotlight despite bringing his career to an end in 2017.
And it is something he has now spoken out about, revealing he believes that some journalists are trying to destroy him.
“If you as a journalist write about me, but you may have done the same things yourself, what’s the point of writing about it?” M24 report him saying.
“It’s for creating clicks. Some journalists are looking to destroy me, but I can handle it.
“It has been on individuals, not on the media. If I get an apology or explanation for why something happened, I move on.
“I need the media too; I’m just looking for a more sensible collaboration, and that I get from them and they get from me. If they just take me off, then it’s going the wrong way.”
