"[5] Riise was a regular member of the 1999–2000 Ligue 1 championship-winning side,[6] however, he fell out of favour with coach Claude Puel after admitting his desire to leave.

[8] He made his debut for Liverpool in the 2001 UEFA Super Cup game against Bayern Munich played at the Stade Louis II.

He won a UEFA Champions League winner's medal, providing the assist for Liverpool's first goal of the final, although his attempt in the penalty shoot-out against Milan was saved.

[11] In the 2005 Football League Cup Final, he scored 45 seconds into the game, the fastest goal in the fixture history, according to the official Liverpool homepage; however, Chelsea eventually prevailed 3–2 after extra time.

[14] Riise helped the club to win the 2005–06 FA Cup, scoring in the semi-final against Chelsea and successfully converting his attempt in the penalty shoot-out against West Ham in the final.

On 22 April 2008, in Liverpool's Champions League semi-final first leg against Chelsea at Anfield, Riise scored an own goal in the 95th minute to equalise.

Throughout the 2007–08 season, Riise's natural place in the side was often taken by Fábio Aurélio, the Brazilian establishing himself as the club's first choice left-back.

Two months later, he scored again in the same stadium against Milan with a free kick into the top right corner, also providing an assist for Roma's second goal of the game.

[27] On 1 September 2014, John Arne Riise signed a one-year contract, with the option of a further season with Cypriot side APOEL.

[28] He made his official debut on 20 September 2014, playing the full 90 minutes and providing two assists in APOEL's 3–1 away victory against Ayia Napa for the Cypriot First Division.

[29] He made his only 2014–15 UEFA Champions League group stage appearance with APOEL on 21 October 2014, coming on as a 41st-minute substitute in his team's 0–1 home defeat to Paris Saint-Germain.

[30] He scored his first official goal for APOEL on 11 January 2015, opening the scoreline in his team's 1–2 defeat at AEL Limassol for the Cypriot First Division.

[34] On 24 August 2015, Indian Super League side Delhi Dynamos confirmed the signing of Riise for the upcoming 2015 tournament.

[35] On 11 March 2016, Riise announced on his Twitter page that he had signed for Aalesunds FK, marking his return to the club at which he began his career.

Not too long after signing the contract, Riise decided to take a break from professional football, stating a loss of motivation fuelled the decision.

[38] Riise made his debut as a substitute for their men's team in a 9-2 win over Rubbestadnes IL, scoring his first goal for the club 24 minutes after coming on.

[39] Later that year, he made the only international tournament appearance of his career at UEFA Euro 2000,[39] but was an unused substitute in all three of the team's Group C matches.

[39] On 15 August 2012, Riise played his 104th match for Norway and equalled Thorbjørn Svenssen's record as the most capped Norwegian player, eventually surpassing it before retiring from international football in 2013.

[41] According to his profile on Fulham FC's website, Riise was "renowned for his unrivalled stamina and powerful shooting ... impressing both as an accomplished defender and as a marauding full-back.

[citation needed] On 4 January 2019, Riise joined Maltese club Birkirkara as a sports director[43][44] but resigned after less than three months for personal reasons.