Fashion Passion, Idolizing Didier Drogba & Bond with Lewis Hamilton
- Published
The Football Interview represents an innovative program where leading personalities from sports and entertainment join host the interviewer for candid and detailed dialogues about football.
The program examines mindset and drive, covering pivotal experiences, career highlights and personal reflections. The Football Interview uncovers the person behind the player.
The Chelsea defender began training with Chelsea at six years old and - having progressed through the academy and into the senior squad - is now team leader.
The defender introduced himself to Chelsea supporters in style, scoring on his first appearance in a 7-1 victory over the opposition in 2019.
Currently twenty-five, James' career highlights to date include making his England debut against Wales in the year 2020, winning the Champions League with his club in 2021, and being appointed team skipper in 2023.
Nevertheless, his journey hasn't been without challenges, with multiple fitness issues impacting him over recent years.
The athlete spoke with Kelly Somers to talk about his professional peaks, the Brazilian's impact, and his friendship with seven-time F1 world champion Lewis Hamilton.
The defender discusses the veteran's influence on his career
Kelly Somers: First question: name, where you're from, and your preferred coffee?
The athlete: The name is Reece James, I was raised in Mortlake, near Richmond - I expect more people will recognize that location. My coffee is a flat white.
Kelly: Was it consistently a flat white?
Reece: Not exactly, it started with, such as, vanilla lattes and similar drinks.
Kelly: Let's start by talking football. What does football mean to you?
The defender: Essentially, from childhood, it was practically my entire focus in education. I wasn't the most academic student, and I simply adored the sport.
Kelly: What's your earliest memory of participating? Is this difficult to answer because it represented a big part of your childhood and development?
Reece: No, simply due to my recollection is quite poor. My earliest memory was probably, I don't know, attending matches of my sibling play. He is two years older than me, and he used to play as well.
Kelly: It was significant in your family, correct, because your dad was so heavily involved? He is a soccer trainer too, right? Tell me a bit about that.
The athlete: So we were three of us growing up. It was completely soccer-obsessed, and he obviously was a trainer as well, and we frequently practiced a lot with him.
Kelly: Can you recall many of those training periods? Because I read that as young as the age of four, you practiced outdoors and he conducted drills with you in the yard.
Reece: Yes, I recall - the drills began early. Fortunately, they paid off for me and my sibling [the club and England forward Lauren James].
Kelly: Talk to me about your initial club that you represented as a youngster, what was it called, and what can you remember?
The defender: My recollection is limited, frankly. That was the local team in the area. I believe I played for about a year. It was from there that talent spotters noticed me for the professional club.
The host: And you weren't a backline player at first, were you? Talk to me about your positional journey and its development...
Reece: I began as a striker, and then subsequently transitioned to the wing, left wing, right wing, and later to midfield, and then finally at right-back, and I hated it at the time.
The presenter: Why did you hate it?
The athlete: Because I consistently desired to occupy central positions. There was less involvement with the ball as frequently but eventually it just clicked and I became a right-back since.
Reece James won the prestigious trophy in that year when Chelsea defeated Manchester City 1-0 in the final in the Portuguese city
The interviewer: You mentioned you began as a forward - who was your idol?
Reece: The player I admired was [Didier] Drogba. I was a supporter during youth and he represented the athlete I looked up to.
The host: Identify a pivotal moment in your career - a moment that has influenced your development and the professional you have evolved into?
The defender: I would probably say going on loan. Transitioning between academy and first-team football is most challenging and this represents likely what many athletes transitioning upwards find difficult.
Kelly: You're talking about the club, naturally. Why did Wigan become the right club for you at the time? The location was distant from all you were familiar with in the capital - why did it work so well?
James: The primary factor is that I featured week in week out, which helps. I gained valuable exposure - I moved away from my companions and family and was forced to grow up fast. Participating on a consistent basis helped significantly.
The interviewer: Who has had the greatest influence on your career?
Reece: I would say [the experienced Brazilian] the veteran. He is nearly sufficiently experienced to be my father and has competed at the highest level for so long. He consistently attempted to assist me from the minute he arrived and continues to, even now he is not here [after leaving the club in 2024].
Kelly: How specifically would he help you?
James: These were little messages away from games. On the pitch, he would sometimes see things that I saw differently and attempt and offer alternative perspectives.
The presenter: It must have been pleasant to meet him this summer [during the tournament]?
Reece: It was wonderful to reconnect with him. I'm happy that his club performed admirably in the competition [they lost in the semi-finals to eventual winners Chelsea]. It's always good to encounter him.
Kelly: If you could go back and replay one match in your career, what would you choose?
Reece: Assuming the result is going to be the same - it would be the European Cup decider.
The host: Besides victory, what made it exceptional about that night
