Style Obsession, Looking Up To Drogba & Bond with Hamilton

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The Football Interview represents an innovative program in which prominent figures from sports and entertainment participate with host the interviewer for frank and comprehensive discussions about football.

The program examines mindset and drive, covering defining moments, professional achievements and personal reflections. This series uncovers the person behind the player.

Reece James started practicing with the London club at the age of six and - after developing through the academy and into the first team - is now team leader.

The defender introduced himself to Chelsea supporters in style, netting on his first appearance in a 7-1 victory over the opposition in 2019.

Now 25, his professional achievements so far include making his England debut against the Welsh team in 2020, winning the European Cup with Chelsea in 2021, and being named club captain in 2023.

Nevertheless, things have not always gone smoothly, with a series of injuries affecting him over the past four seasons.

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

Kelly Somers: First question: name, your origins, and what's your coffee order?

The athlete: I am Reece James, I was raised in Mortlake, near Richmond - I expect many will recognize that area. My beverage is a flat white.

The host: Was it consistently a that particular coffee?

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

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

Reece: I mean, from childhood, it was practically all I knew in school. I wasn't exactly the brightest kid, and I simply adored the sport.

Kelly: Your first recollection of playing? Is this tough to respond to because it represented a significant aspect of your early years and growing up?

Reece: No, just because my recollection is quite poor. My earliest memory was likely, I don't know, attending matches of my brother compete. He is two years older than me, and he used to play as well.

Kelly: It was big in your family, correct, because your father was deeply engaged? He's a soccer trainer too, isn't he? Tell me a little about that.

The athlete: So there was three of us during childhood. We were completely soccer-obsessed, and he naturally was a coach as well, and we used to train extensively with him.

The presenter: Can you recall many of those sessions? Since I read that as young as the age of four, you practiced outdoors and he conducted drills with you in the back garden.

James: Yeah, I remember - the drills started young. Fortunately, they paid off for me and my sibling [Chelsea and national team attacker his sister].

Kelly: Tell me about your initial club that you played for as a youngster, what was it called, and your memories?

The defender: My recollection is limited, to be honest. That was the local team in the area. I think I was there for about twelve months. From that point that I was scouted for Chelsea.

The host: You didn't start as a defender at first, correct? Explain about your positional journey and its development...

Reece: I began as a forward, and then subsequently transitioned to the wing, left wing, right wing, and later to midfield, and then eventually at defensive role, and I disliked it at that period.

Kelly: Why did you hate it?

Reece: Since I always wanted to play midfield. There was less involvement with the football as much but one day everything fell into place and I became a right-back since.

The interviewer: You mentioned you began as an attacker - who was your role model?

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

Kelly: Identify a pivotal moment in your professional life - an experience that has shaped you and the professional you have evolved into?

The defender: I would probably say going on loan. Transitioning between youth and first-team football is the hardest and this represents probably what most players making the jump find difficult.

The presenter: You're talking about Wigan, of course. What made did Wigan become the right club for you at that period? It was miles away from everything you were familiar with in London - what made it successful so well?

James: The first thing is that I featured consistently, which proves beneficial. I acquired a lot of experiences - I moved away from my companions and family and had to mature quickly. Playing on a regular schedule assisted significantly.

The interviewer: Who has had the biggest impact on your career?

The athlete: I would say [the experienced Brazilian] the veteran. He's almost old enough to be my dad and has competed at elite standard for many years. He always tried to assist me from the minute he joined and continues to, even now he is departed [having left Chelsea in that year].

The host: In what way would he assist you?

Reece: It was small pieces of advice off the pitch. On the pitch, he occasionally see things that I perceived alternatively and try and offer alternative perspectives.

Kelly: It was undoubtedly nice to meet him recently [during the tournament]?

Reece: It was wonderful to see him again. I'm happy that his club did well in the competition [they were defeated in the semi-finals to eventual winners his team]. It is always good to encounter him.

The interviewer: Were you able to return and experience again one match in your career, which would you pick?

James: Assuming the result is remains the identical - I'd select the European Cup decider.

Kelly: Besides victory, what made it exceptional about the occasion