John Arne Riise: Craig Bellamy Could Have Ended My Career in Golf Club Attack

John Arne Riise has given another account of the infamous golf club attack by Liverpool team-mate Craig Bellamy ahead of a UEFA Champions League match in 2007, and he now says it could have ended his career. 

The former Norway international explained his side of the story in 2016, per James Pearce of the Liverpool Echo: A drunk Bellamy wanted him to sing karaoke and later came to his room with a golf club, hitting him, after he refused. Now, according to his new autobiography, Running Man, Bellamy wrote things were a lot more serious than he initially suggested, per Goal:

"I woke in the dark to hear someone opening the door. Obviously I thought it was (Daniel) Agger. I turned, but my eyes were half-asleep, and I didn't see anything in the sudden, bright glare. But something made me realise that it wasn't Agger. And soon I could see him – Craig Bellamy at the foot of my bed with a golf club in his hands.

"Steve Finnan, who shared a room with Bellamy, was there too, but he just stood there. Bellamy raised the club over his head and swung as hard as he could. He tried to hit my shins, which would have ended my career, but I managed to pull my leg away in time.

"The next blow smashed into my thigh. I tried to hold up the sheet, but he continued to strike. He could seriously injure me. At the same time, I knew I could take Bellamy if I needed to. I was bigger and stronger.

"I tried to calm him down: 'Put down the club and let's fight with our fists. Come on! A proper fight!' He just stood and glowered at me. Then he said: 'Tomorrow at nine o'clock we'll meet and finish this.' Then he left."

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In his original account, Riise said Bellamy hit him on his "backside," which seemed to align with his team-mate's version of events.

In his autobiography GoodFella (h/t Mirror's Oliver Holt), Bellamy wrote it was a "thwack" across the backside, and he didn't have the space to take a proper swing. He also said Riise "curled up in a ball with a blanket," rather than stand up to him.

The incident resulted in an £80,000 fine for Bellamy, but also in one of his most iconic moments in the Liverpool shirt. After bagging the equaliser at the Camp Nou, he ran to the corner flag and celebrated by pretending to swing a golf club:

DAVE THOMPSON/Associated Press

In his biography, Riise wrote he believed the celebration to be disrespectful, and it made him question Bellamy's apology.

Later in the same match Bellamy would set Riise up for the winner. The team would go on to beat Barcelona, PSV and Chelsea on their way to the final, only to lose to AC Milan, who avenged their loss from two years before.

Bellamy left the Reds for West Ham United after the season and finished his career with Cardiff City in 2014. Riise left in 2008 and played his last football in 2016 in the Indian Super League.