Style Obsession, Idolizing Drogba & Bond with Hamilton
- Released
This Sports Conversation represents an innovative program where leading personalities from athletics and show business participate with presenter Kelly Somers for candid and detailed discussions about football.
We'll explore mindset and motivation, covering pivotal experiences, career highlights and individual insights. This series uncovers the person beyond the athlete.
The Chelsea defender began training with the London club at the age of six and - after developing through the youth system and into the senior squad - is now team leader.
The defender introduced himself to the Stamford Bridge faithful in impressive fashion, netting on his first appearance in a comprehensive win over the opposition in September 2019.
Currently twenty-five, his professional achievements to date include earning his England debut against Wales in 2020, winning the European Cup with his club in 2021, and being named team skipper in 2023.
Nevertheless, things have not always gone smoothly, with multiple fitness issues impacting him over the past four seasons.
The athlete spoke with the interviewer to discuss his professional peaks, the Brazilian's impact, and his friendship with seven-time F1 world champion Lewis Hamilton.
'He's nearly old enough to be my dad' - Reece James reveals Thiago Silva's impact on his career
Kelly Somers: Initial inquiry: name, your origins, and what's your coffee order?
Reece James: The name is Reece James, I grew up in Mortlake, near Richmond - I expect more people will know that location. My beverage is a specific coffee type.
The host: Was it consistently a that particular coffee?
Reece: No, it started with, such as, vanilla lattes and similar drinks.
The presenter: Let's start by talking football. What does football mean to you?
The defender: Essentially, from childhood, it's kind of all I knew in school. I wasn't exactly the most academic student, and I just loved the sport.
Kelly: Your first recollection of participating? Is this difficult to answer because it represented a significant aspect of your childhood and development?
James: Not particularly, simply due to my memory is so bad. My earliest memory was probably, I don't know, going to watch my sibling play. He is my senior by two years 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 football coach too, right? Tell me a little about that.
Reece: Well we were three of us growing up. It was all football mad, and he obviously was a trainer as well, and we used to train a lot with him.
The presenter: Do you remember a lot of those training periods? Because I read that starting from the four years old, you were outside and he was doing drills with you in the back garden.
James: Yeah, I recall - the drills started young. Thankfully, they proved beneficial for me and my sister [the club and England attacker Lauren James].
Kelly: Talk to me about your initial club that you played for as a child, its name, and your memories?
The defender: My recollection is limited, frankly. That was Kew Park Rangers in the area. I think I was there for about twelve months. It was from there that I was scouted for the professional club.
Kelly: And you weren't a backline player at first, correct? Explain about your role evolution and its development...
James: I started off as a striker, and then subsequently moved to wide positions, left wing, right side, and later to central positions, and then finally at right-back, and I hated it at the time.
Kelly: What caused your dislike for it?
Reece: Because I always wanted to play midfield. You didn't touch the ball as frequently but one day everything fell into place and I became a right-back since.
The defender claimed the Champions League in 2021 when his team defeated Man City 1-0 in the final in the Portuguese city
The interviewer: You said you started as an attacker - who served as your idol?
Reece: The player I admired was [Didier] Drogba. I was a supporter growing up and he represented the player I admired.
The host: Can you think of a pivotal moment in your career - a moment that has shaped you and the player you have become?
Reece: I'd likely identify the loan spell. Transitioning between academy and first-team football is most challenging and this represents probably what many athletes transitioning upwards find difficult.
Kelly: You're referring to the club, naturally. Why was Wigan the ideal team for you at the time? The location was miles away from all you knew in the capital - why did it work 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 friends and relatives and was forced to grow up fast. Participating on a consistent basis assisted a lot.
Kelly: Which individual exerted the biggest impact on your professional journey?
Reece: I'd identify [Brazil defender] Thiago Silva. He's nearly old enough to be my dad and has played at elite standard for so long. He always tried to assist me from the moment he joined and still does, presently he is not here [having left Chelsea in that year].
Kelly: How specifically would he assist you?
James: It was little messages off the pitch. During matches, he occasionally observe situations that I perceived alternatively and try and offer alternative perspectives.
The presenter: It was undoubtedly nice to see him recently [during the tournament]?
The defender: It was wonderful to see him again. I'm pleased that his club performed admirably in the tournament [they were defeated in the semi-finals to eventual winners his team]. It's consistently positive to encounter him.
Kelly: If you could return and replay one match in your career, which would you pick?
James: If the outcome is going to be the same - it would be the European Cup decider.
Kelly: Besides victory, what was so special about the occasion
