‘I refused to clap Liverpool fans after the harsh change of words they made to my song’

John Arne Riise has opened up about his discomfort when Liverpool fans altered the lyrics of his dedicated chant following Alan Smith's devastating leg injury.

The former Norway international, who was a fan favourite at Anfield due to his goal-scoring prowess and dynamic runs on the left wing, had a song created for him by Liverpool supporters.

This was set to the tune of DJ Otzi's 'Hey Baby' and was a tribute to his stunning free-kick against Manchester United in his debut season. However, after Smith suffered a horrific leg break and dislocated ankle while blocking a Riise free-kick during a match between United and Liverpool in 2006, the lyrics were changed, reports the Mirror .

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Speaking to Ladbrokes, Liverpool FC's official betting partner, Riise confessed that he could no longer acknowledge the fans when they sang the revised version.

"From what I remember, Liverpool fans changed my song on that day, from "I wanna know, how you scored that goal" to "I wanna know, how you broke his leg" - I couldn't clap the fans or thank them on that day, for that," the 43- year-old said.

He added: "Yes, you should have rivalry between teams, for sure, but there comes a point where the human being, and their career, is more important."

Smith was out of action for seven months due to the injury, and Riise opened up about the horrific scene when he recalled the incident: "When I went over to Alan [Smith] and saw his ankle, just hanging there, loose, it was sickening.

"Nobody wants to see that on the pitch. I wasn't going to thank the fans for singing that song after they changed the words like that, I couldn't and wouldn't thank them because it was very, very harsh on Alan." Riise made sure to reach out to the former England player post-match to offer his support following such a severe injury.

"I reached out to Alan in the evening and sent him a few texts afterwards, just to see how his rehabilitation was going, but nothing more since then," Riise shared. "People get injured in games, that's always going to happen, but the fact that I played a part in that incident, I just wanted to make sure he was OK afterwards."

The now 43-year-old left Liverpool in 2008 after a memorable seven-year spell and subsequently turned out for eight other clubs including Roma and Fulham before hanging up his boots last year.