Fashion Passion, Idolizing Drogba & Bond with Hamilton

• Released
  Less than an hour ago

The Football Interview constitutes an innovative program in which leading personalities from athletics and entertainment join presenter the interviewer for frank and detailed discussions about the beautiful game.

We'll explore mindset and motivation, covering pivotal experiences, professional achievements and individual insights. This series reveals the person beyond the athlete.

Reece James began practicing with Chelsea at six years old and - having progressed through the academy and into the first team - is now club captain.

The defender introduced himself to Chelsea supporters in style, netting on his debut in a comprehensive win over the opposition in 2019.

Now 25, his professional achievements to date include earning his England debut against Wales in the year 2020, winning the European Cup with Chelsea in 2021, and being named club captain in 2023.

Nevertheless, things have not always gone smoothly, with multiple fitness issues affecting him over recent years.

The athlete spoke with the interviewer to talk about his career highs, Thiago Silva's influence, and his friendship with seven-time F1 world champion the racing driver.

Kelly Somers: Initial inquiry: identity, where you're from, and what's your coffee order?

Reece James: The name is Reece James, I was raised in the area, near Richmond - I'm sure more people will know that location. My beverage is a specific coffee type.

The host: Was it consistently a flat white?

Reece: Not exactly, I began with, like, flavored coffees and stuff.

Kelly: We'll begin by discussing soccer. What does football mean to you?

The defender: I mean, from a little kid, it's kind of my entire focus in school. I wasn't the brightest kid, and I simply adored playing football.

The interviewer: Your first recollection of participating? Is this tough to respond to because it was such a significant aspect of your early years and development?

Reece: Not particularly, simply due to my recollection is so bad. My earliest memory was probably, I don't know, attending matches of my sibling play. He is my senior by two years than me, and he used to play as well.

The host: It was big in your household, wasn't it, because your father was so heavily involved? He is a football coach too, isn't he? Tell me a little about that.

Reece: Well we were three of us growing up. We were completely soccer-obsessed, and he obviously was a trainer as well, and we frequently practiced extensively with him.

Kelly: Can you recall a lot of those training periods? Since I learned that starting from the four years old, you were outside and he conducted drills with you in the back garden.

James: Yeah, I recall - the drills started young. Fortunately, they paid off for myself and my sister [the club and England attacker Lauren James].

The interviewer: Talk to me about your initial club that you played for as a child, what was it called, and what can you remember?

Reece: My recollection is limited, to be honest. That was the local team in the area. I believe I played for about a year. It was from there that I was scouted for Chelsea.

The host: You didn't start as a backline player at first, correct? Talk to me about your positional journey and how that changed...

Reece: I began as a forward, and then eventually transitioned to wide positions, left wing, right wing, and eventually to central positions, and then eventually at defensive role, and I disliked it at the time.

Kelly: Why did you hate it?

The athlete: Because I consistently desired to play midfield. There was less involvement with the football as much but one day everything fell into place and I've been a defender since.

Kelly: You mentioned you began as a forward - who was your role model?

Reece: My idol was [Didier] Drogba. I grew up as a Chelsea fan growing up and he represented the player I admired.

The host: Identify a turning point in your professional life - an experience that has influenced your development and the player you have become?

Reece: I would probably say the loan spell. Bridging the gap between youth and senior level is most challenging and that is probably what many athletes transitioning upwards find challenging.

Kelly: You're referring to the club, naturally. Why did Wigan become the ideal team for you at the time? The location was distant from all you knew in the capital - what made it successful so effectively?

James: The primary factor is that I played week in week out, which proves beneficial. I acquired valuable exposure - I relocated from my friends and relatives and had to mature fast. Participating on a regular schedule assisted a lot.

Kelly: Which individual exerted the biggest impact on your career?

Reece: I would say [Brazil defender] Thiago Silva. He's almost sufficiently experienced to be my dad and has competed at the highest level for so long. He always tried to assist me from the moment he arrived and still does, presently he is not here [after leaving the club in 2024].

Kelly: In what way would he assist you?

James: It was little messages away from games. On the pitch, he occasionally see things that I saw alternatively and try and offer alternative perspectives.

Kelly: It was undoubtedly pleasant to see him this summer [at the Club World Cup]?

The defender: It was wonderful to reconnect with him. I'm happy that his club did well in the competition [they were defeated in the semi-finals to the champions Chelsea]. It's always good to encounter him.

Kelly: Were you able to go back and replay one match in your professional history, what would you choose?

Reece: If the outcome is going to be the same - I'd select the European Cup decider.

The host: Other than victory, what made it exceptional about that night