Former Liverpool defender John Arne Riise retires

The 35-year-old Riise spent seven years at Liverpool, making more than 250 appearances and winning the Champions League, the FA Cup and the League Cup during his spell on Merseyside.

"I like to play football, but the motivation is still not strong enough to run the race at the highest level," he wrote, in a post translated in full on the Liverpool Echo website.

"This body - and this head - has been through so much over the last 20 years. It is an admission that is both heavy and painful, and very full of emotion, but it is most of all honest...

"Lately there has emerged a completely new feeling in me, feeling that joy, glow but no longer strong enough to perform at my best."

Riise played for several clubs, including Fulham and Italian side Roma following his departure from Anfield, and last played for Norwegian outfit Aalesund, where he started his career in 1996.

And he spoke in his post about how much the game has meant to him over the years.

"To succeed as a footballer you have to have a mental strength that can withstand being tested every week. Every fight is a public examination where you’re measured and judged.

"But beneath all this lies the joy. The joy of playing football and success, both as a team and individual. The joy that creates a glow to master all training sessions and matches throughout the season. I had it in my entire career.”

Riise ends his career as the most-capped Norwegian player of all time, having made 110 appearances for his country.

Social media quickly paid tribute to a star who was a mainstay of Liverpool's side for almost a decade.