John Arne Riise confronted school bully at McDonald's after Liverpool Champions League win

Next May will mark two decades since Liverpool became champion of Europe for a fifth time. Two decades on, the events of its victory over AC Milan still lack rational explanation.

Having been 3-0 down at half time, the Reds scored three times in six minutes early in the second half to draw level. They hung on until the end of extra time, winning 3-2 in the penalty shootout which followed.

The comeback began with a headed goal from captain Steven Gerrard . He was assisted by John Arne Riise, who has recently been speaking about a slice of revenge he enjoyed thanks to winning the Champions League with Liverpool .

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It dated back to his school days. “I was bullied when I was younger, after I changed schools, and I used that as motivation in training, when I was a kid,” Riise said, before recounting an incident which took place in his homeland during the summer of 2005, after he had bought a Ferrari.

“I went back to my old city, Aalesund, because my brother's child was doing something there which I wanted to go and support. Anyway, I parked my car up and I recognised a guy, walking towards me... it was one of the kids who used to bully me.”

“And I could see he was wearing a McDonald's shirt, and there was a McDonald's about 100 yards away from where I'd parked. I just thought to myself 'I have to do this',” Riise added.

“There's nothing wrong with working in McDonald's, by the way. But, you know, the comparison was that this guy was there, and I was here - that was my first thought. So, I walked into the McDonald's and went over to his counter. He was looking down, taking orders, and so he called me over and looked up. You know when you have to double-take someone? That's what he did, and that's when I knew he knew who I was.”

“He knew I'd just won the Champions League. He knew the Ferrari was mine, and I knew what he was doing now - again, there's nothing wrong with it, but the comparison was so big.”

"He took my order, I got my McDonald's, thanked him very much and walked away. Obviously, I threw the McDonald's into the bin, but the feeling I got when I walked out of there, just made everything worth it for me.”

“You don't need to do anything crazy, or say anything stupid, but in that moment, just going up to order from him, for me that was enough. He knew, and I knew,” Riise concluded. It appears revenge is a dish best served in a fast food restaurant and then chucked in a bin.

John Arne Riise was speaking to Ladbrokes, the official betting partner of Liverpool FC.