Monday, 6th May, 2013
Fulham left-back John Arne Riise has officially announced his decision to retire from international football at the age of 32.
The Molde-born defender has earned a total 110 caps for Norway, scoring 16 goals along the way. Furthermore, he has also played for his country at Under-21 level, making 17 appearances and scoring three goals.
Riise is Norway’s most capped player and has been the country’s first-choice left-back in the past decade. He made his international debut against Iceland on 31st January 2000. A month later, he would score his first international goal in a 2-0 win against Turkey.
"After a long period of many thoughts, I have chosen to opt out of any further national team games for Norway", Riise told Norwegian channel TV2 in a statement. "The decision was taken in consultation with my closest friends, but it has ultimately been entirely my own.
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"The heavy side of such a choice is obvious: I loved every second I’ve played with the Norwegian national team. The good side of the choice is that it feels right. There is a time for everything.
"I have gone into the last phase of my football career, at the age where I have to make some clear choices if I am to reach my final goal – to play four or five years more in Europe. To do this, I will from now focus fully on my club team", Riise concluded.
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