Style Obsession, Idolizing Drogba & Friendship with Hamilton

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The Football Interview constitutes an innovative program in which prominent figures from athletics and entertainment join presenter Kelly Somers for candid and detailed discussions about football.

The program examines mindset and motivation, discussing pivotal experiences, career highlights and individual insights. This series reveals the person behind the player.

Reece James started training with Chelsea at six years old and - after developing through the academy and into the senior squad - is now team leader.

The defender introduced himself to Chelsea supporters in impressive fashion, scoring on his first appearance in a 7-1 victory over Grimsby Town in September 2019.

Now 25, his professional achievements to date include earning his international bow against the Welsh team in 2020, claiming the Champions League with Chelsea in 2021, and being appointed team skipper in 2023.

However, things have not always gone smoothly, with a series of injuries affecting him over recent years.

James sat down with the interviewer to talk about his career highs, Thiago Silva's influence, and his relationship with multiple Formula One title winner the racing driver.

The interviewer: First question: name, your origins, and your preferred coffee?

Reece James: The name is Reece James, I grew up 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, flavored coffees and stuff.

Kelly: Let's start by discussing soccer. What does football mean to you?

Reece: Essentially, from childhood, it was practically my entire focus in education. I wasn't exactly the most academic student, and I simply adored the sport.

Kelly: Your first recollection of playing? Is this difficult to respond to because it was such a big part of your early years and growing up?

Reece: No, simply due to my memory is so bad. My earliest memory was likely, I don't know, attending matches of my brother play. He is two years older than me, and he also participated as well.

Kelly: It was significant in your household, correct, because your dad was so heavily involved? He's a football coach too, right? Tell me a little about that.

The athlete: So we were three of us growing up. It was all football mad, and he naturally was a trainer as well, and we frequently practiced extensively with him.

The presenter: Can you recall many of those training periods? Since I read that as young as the four years old, you practiced outdoors and he conducted drills with you in the yard.

Reece: Yes, I remember - the drills started young. Fortunately, they proved beneficial for me and my sibling [Chelsea and England attacker his sister].

The interviewer: Tell me about your initial club that you represented as a youngster, its name, and your memories?

The defender: I don't remember much, to be honest. It was the local team in Kew. I think I was there for about a year. It was from there that talent spotters noticed me for Chelsea.

Kelly: You didn't start as a backline player at initially, correct? Explain about your positional journey and how that changed...

James: I began as a forward, and then eventually moved to the wing, left wing, right wing, and later to central positions, and then finally at defensive role, and I disliked it at the time.

Kelly: Why did you hate it?

Reece: Since I consistently desired to occupy central positions. There was less involvement with the ball as much but eventually everything fell into place and I became a right-back since.

The interviewer: You mentioned you started as an attacker - who was your idol?

Reece: The player I admired was [the legendary] Drogba. I grew up as a supporter growing up and he was the athlete I looked up to.

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

The defender: I'd likely identify the loan spell. Bridging the gap between youth and senior level is the hardest and that is likely what many athletes transitioning upwards find difficult.

The presenter: You're referring to the club, naturally. Why was Wigan the ideal team for you at that period? It was distant from all you knew in the capital - why did it work so effectively?

James: The first thing is that I played week in week out, which helps. I gained a lot of experiences - I relocated from my companions and family and had to grow up quickly. Participating on a regular schedule helped significantly.

Kelly: Which individual exerted the biggest impact on your professional journey?

Reece: I would say [the experienced Brazilian] the veteran. He's almost sufficiently experienced to be my dad and has played at the highest level for many years. He consistently attempted to assist me from the moment he joined and still does, even now he is departed [having left Chelsea in that year].

The host: How specifically would he help you?

Reece: These were small pieces of advice away from games. During matches, he would sometimes observe situations that I perceived alternatively and try and offer alternative perspectives.

The presenter: It must have been pleasant to see him recently [at the Club World Cup]?

The defender: It was great to reconnect with him. I'm happy that his club performed admirably in the competition [they lost in the penultimate round to eventual winners Chelsea]. It is consistently positive to see him.

The interviewer: If you could go back and experience again one match in your professional history, what would you choose?

Reece: If the outcome is remains the same - it would be the Champions League [final].

Kelly: Besides winning, what was so special about the occasion