Bjørn Helge Riise

Aalesund

Early in his career, Riise was linked with several clubs, including Manchester City and Cardiff City, but deals failed to materialize. Riise threatened to retire after the Cardiff deal fell through due to complications with Aalesund, his club at the time, stating "I don't understand what Aalesund want from me. I almost want to quit football because it's not fun anymore". Riise spent the 2002 season on loan at Viking FK before moving to Belgium.

Standard Liège

In January 2003, Riise signed a three-year deal with Standard Liège, after impressing on a trial that included two reserve team appearances. He became teammates with fellow Norwegian Ole Martin Årst.

Brussels

After playing only 17 matches for Standard Liège, he was loaned out to Brussels. When his contract expired, Brussels would have a call option on him. However, there were transfer talks between Brussels and Brann, according to Belgian newspaper Het Nieuwsblad.

Lillestrøm

Riise returned to Norway with Lillestrøm in the summer of 2005, where he signed a three-and-a-half-year deal. He made his debut for Lillestrøm on 3 July against Molde.

Fulham

In July 2009, Norwegian media reported that Riise was to join international teammates Brede Hangeland and Erik Nevland at Fulham, for a fee believed to be around £2 million. Riise subsequently signed a three-year deal for an undisclosed fee. He made his Fulham début in a Europa League tie against FK Vetra coming on as a…

After retiring as a player following the 2018 season, Riise joined Stabæk in 2019 as a coach for the club's under-14 team. Later that year, he became head coach of the under-19 team and Stabæk 2, a role he held for five years. In August 2024, he was appointed of player development in Stabæk's academy. In September 2024, after Stabæk and Bob Bradley parted ways, Riise was appointed caretaker head coach for the remainder of the season. He became an assistant coach ahead of the 2025 season and later served a second spell as caretaker head coach before moving into a scouting role. In January 2026, he joined Strømsgodset as an assistant coach.

He earned his first cap for Norway in a Euro 2008 qualifying match against Malta which Norway won 4–0. He provided three assists in the game which saw his brother John Arne Riise score a goal. Riise earned his first goal for Norway in another qualifying match against Bosnia and Herzegovina. Norway won 2–0, with Riise scoring the second goal of the game.

Riise is married to long-term partner, Lena Jenssen – like his brother, he married in the summer of 2010. The couple have three sons, Noah, Fillip and Levi.