Style Obsession, Idolizing Didier Drogba & Friendship with Lewis Hamilton

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The Football Interview constitutes an innovative program in which prominent figures from sports and entertainment participate with host the interviewer for candid and comprehensive discussions about the beautiful game.

We'll explore mindset and drive, discussing pivotal experiences, professional achievements and individual insights. The Football Interview uncovers the person behind the player.

The Chelsea defender started training with Chelsea at six years old and - after developing through the youth system and into the first team - is now club captain.

James announced himself to the Stamford Bridge faithful in style, netting on his debut in a 7-1 victory over Grimsby Town in September 2019.

Now 25, his professional achievements to date include making his international bow against the Welsh team in the year 2020, winning the European Cup with his club in 2021, and being named club captain in 2023.

However, his journey hasn't been without challenges, with multiple fitness issues impacting him over the past four seasons.

The athlete spoke with Kelly Somers to discuss his professional peaks, Thiago Silva's influence, and his relationship with multiple Formula One title winner the racing driver.

Kelly Somers: Initial inquiry: name, your origins, and your preferred coffee?

The athlete: The name is Reece James, I was raised in Mortlake, near Richmond - I expect more people will know that area. My coffee is a flat white.

The host: Was it consistently a that particular coffee?

James: No, it started with, such as, flavored coffees and similar drinks.

Kelly: Let's start by talking football. What significance does soccer hold to you?

Reece: Essentially, from childhood, it's kind of all I knew in school. I wasn't the brightest kid, and I just loved playing football.

The interviewer: What's your earliest memory of playing? Is this difficult to answer because it represented a big part of your early years and growing up?

James: Not particularly, just because my memory is so bad. My earliest memory was probably, I don't know, 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 deeply engaged? He is a soccer trainer too, isn't he? Tell me a bit about that.

Reece: Well we were three children during childhood. We were all football mad, and he obviously was a trainer as well, and we frequently practiced extensively with him.

Kelly: Do you remember a lot of those training periods? Since I learned that starting from the four years old, you practiced outdoors and he conducted exercises with you in the back garden.

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

The interviewer: Talk to me about your first ever team that you played for as a child, what was it called, and your memories?

The defender: I don't remember much, to be honest. That was Kew Park Rangers in the area. I believe I was there for about a year. It was from there that I was scouted for the professional club.

The host: And you weren't a defender at first, were you? Talk to me about your role evolution and its development...

James: I began as a striker, and then eventually transitioned to wide positions, left wing, right wing, and later to midfield, and then finally at right-back, and I disliked it at the time.

The presenter: Why did you hate it?

Reece: Because I consistently desired to play midfield. There was less involvement with the ball as much but eventually everything fell into place and I've been a right-back since.

Kelly: You said you started as an attacker - who served as your role model?

Reece: The player I admired was [Didier] Drogba. I grew up as 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 shaped you and the player you have become?

The defender: I'd likely identify the loan spell. Transitioning between academy and senior level is the hardest and that is probably what many athletes making the jump find challenging.

Kelly: You're talking about Wigan, naturally. What made was Wigan the right club for you at the time? It was distant from all you knew in the capital - what made it successful so well?

Reece: The primary factor is that I played week in week out, which proves beneficial. I acquired valuable exposure - I moved away from my friends and family and was forced to grow up quickly. Playing on a consistent basis helped a lot.

The interviewer: Which individual exerted the biggest impact on your career?

Reece: I would say [Brazil defender] the veteran. 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 arrived and still does, even now he is departed [having left Chelsea in that year].

Kelly: How specifically would he assist you?

James: These were small pieces of advice away from games. During matches, he would sometimes see things that I perceived alternatively and attempt and paint a different picture.

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

Reece: It was great to see him again. I'm happy that his club performed admirably in the tournament [they were defeated in the semi-finals to the champions his team]. It's always good to encounter him.

The interviewer: Were you able to return and experience again a single game in your career, what would you choose?

Reece: Assuming the result is remains the same - I'd select the European Cup decider.

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