Remember when Liverpool were one of the best sides in Europe and went to places like the Nou Camp and the Bernabeu and recorded comprehensive victories? We're not even talking about the good old days of the 80s but already it seems like a lifetime ago.
Rafa's Champions League specialists went to the Nou Camp in 2007 and promptly came away with a 2-1 win in a game that will long be remembered for Craig Bellamy's golf club celebration. Amid rocky relationships behind the scenes, Liverpool went to Barcelona and defeated the reigning European champions on their way to another final. At least the fans always have the memories and that celebration and the incident which led to it is a memory that's unlikely to fade anytime soon.
Bellamy has given his rather honest take on the incident saying that 'it was pathetic. It was stupidity of the highest level. It was drunken, bullying behaviour.' And now, speaking to the Liverpool Echo, Riise has now given his side of the story.
When I heard the key in the door I thought it was Dan coming back but then the lights went on. Next thing I saw was a golf club smashing me on my backside.
I jumped out of bed and was stood in my underwear while Bellamy was there shouting. He just said: ‘9am tomorrow outside my room’. I got there for 8.45am and waited until 9.10am but there was no sign on him.
The cheek of him. Letting on as if the sight of his pasty torso was what convinced a drunken Bellamy to put the eight iron back in the bag. No chance. If it hadn't been for an ever dependable Limerick man, there's every chance that we'd be talking about the night that the notorious golf club killer, Craig Bellamy, did away with his teammate to kick of a series of unsavoury incidents in a Portuguese holiday resort.
We'll let Steven Gerrard's autobiography pick the story up from here.
There was a party on in one of the lads' bedrooms. It was carnage and Steve Finnan looked like he had either seen a ghost or witnessed a murder. I soon worked out that it was closer to murder.
Finn had got back to his room and found Bellamy in a raging mood. Bellers said 'Right, I'm going to get him.' The Welsh wizard took an 8-iron, his favourite club, out of his golf bag. Finnan was very worried then because Bellamy looked half-crazy. He went off to Ginge [Riise] and Agger's room, carrying his 8-iron. Finn chased after him but Bellers was quick.
Of course the latch had been left off the door [to allow Agger to return without waking Riise up] and so Bellamy went straight in and started walloping Riise with the 8-iron. Ginge, who was in his boxer shorts in bed, went in to protection mode, covering himself up. Finnan arrived and managed to stop Bellamy doing any more damage.
It was like a morgue at breakfast the next morning.
If it wasn't for the fact that Finnan is the kind of guy who shies away from the limelight, we'd start up some kind of petition to try get him the keys to the city of Limerick or Liverpool (or both). We know the truth and no amount of Riise's rewriting of history will be able to bury it.
