Style Obsession, Idolizing Drogba & Friendship with Lewis Hamilton

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This Sports Conversation represents a new series where leading personalities from sports and entertainment join presenter the interviewer for candid and comprehensive dialogues about football.

We'll explore mindset and drive, covering defining moments, professional achievements and personal reflections. The Football Interview reveals the individual beyond the player.

Reece James started practicing with Chelsea at the age of six and - having progressed through the academy and into the first team - is now club captain.

James announced himself to the Stamford Bridge faithful in impressive fashion, netting on his first appearance in a comprehensive win over Grimsby Town in September 2019.

Now 25, James' career highlights to date include making his England debut against the Welsh team in the year 2020, winning the Champions League with his club in 2021, and being named club captain in 2023.

However, his journey hasn't been without challenges, with a series of injuries impacting him over recent years.

The athlete spoke with Kelly Somers to discuss his career highs, the Brazilian's impact, and his friendship with seven-time F1 world champion the racing driver.

The interviewer: Initial inquiry: identity, your origins, and what's your coffee order?

Reece James: I am Reece James, I was raised in Mortlake, near Richmond - I'm sure many will know that area. My beverage is a specific coffee type.

The host: Was it consistently a flat white?

James: Not exactly, I began with, such as, flavored coffees and similar drinks.

Kelly: We'll begin by talking football. What significance does soccer hold to you?

The defender: Essentially, from childhood, it was practically my entire focus in education. I wasn't the brightest kid, and I simply adored playing football.

The interviewer: What's your earliest memory of playing? Is this difficult to answer because it represented a significant aspect of your childhood and growing up?

Reece: Not particularly, just because my memory is quite poor. My first remembrance was probably, unsure, attending matches of my sibling play. He's two years older than me, and he used to play as well.

The host: It was significant in your family, correct, because your father was so heavily involved? He is a football coach too, isn't he? Tell me a bit about that.

The athlete: So there was three children during childhood. It was all football mad, and he obviously was a coach as well, and we used to train extensively with him.

Kelly: Do you remember many of those sessions? Since I learned that as young as the age of four, you were outside and he conducted exercises with you in the yard.

James: Yes, I remember - the training began early. Thankfully, they proved beneficial for me and my sibling [Chelsea and England forward his sister].

The interviewer: Tell me about your initial club that you represented as a child, what was it called, and what can you remember?

The defender: My recollection is limited, frankly. That was Kew Park Rangers in Kew. I think I was there for about twelve months. From that point that I was scouted for Chelsea.

Kelly: You didn't start as a defender at first, were you? Talk to me about your positional journey and its development...

James: I began as a forward, and then subsequently moved to wide positions, left side, right side, and eventually to midfield, and then eventually at right-back, and I hated it at that period.

Kelly: What caused your dislike for it?

Reece: Because I consistently desired to play midfield. There was less involvement with the football as frequently but one day it just clicked and I've been a right-back since.

Kelly: You said you began as a forward - who was your idol?

James: The player I admired was [the legendary] Drogba. I was a supporter during youth and he represented the athlete I admired.

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

Reece: I'd likely identify the loan spell. Bridging the gap between academy and senior level is the hardest and that is likely what most players transitioning upwards find challenging.

Kelly: You're talking about Wigan, of course. What made did Wigan become the right club for you at the time? It was miles away from everything you were familiar with in London - why did it work so effectively?

James: The first thing is that I featured week in week out, which proves beneficial. I gained a lot of experiences - I moved away from my companions and family and had to grow up quickly. Participating on a regular schedule assisted a lot.

Kelly: Who has had the biggest impact on your professional journey?

The athlete: I would say [the experienced Brazilian] Thiago Silva. He is almost sufficiently experienced to be my dad and has competed at elite standard for so long. He consistently attempted to assist me from the minute he joined and still does, even now he is departed [having left Chelsea in 2024].

Kelly: In what way would he help you?

Reece: These were small pieces of advice off the pitch. During matches, he would sometimes observe situations that I perceived differently and attempt and offer alternative perspectives.

Kelly: It was undoubtedly nice to meet him recently [at the Club World Cup]?

Reece: It proved great to reconnect with him. I'm happy that his club did well in the competition [they lost in the penultimate round to eventual winners Chelsea]. It's always good to encounter him.

Kelly: If you could go back and replay a single game in your professional history, which would you pick?

Reece: If the outcome is remains the same - I'd select the Champions League [final].

The host: Other than victory, what was so special about the occasion