Fashion Passion, Looking Up To Drogba & Friendship with Lewis Hamilton

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The Football Interview constitutes a new series where leading personalities from sports and show business join presenter the interviewer for frank and detailed discussions about the beautiful game.

We'll explore mental approach and drive, discussing pivotal experiences, career highlights and personal reflections. This series reveals the individual beyond the player.

Reece James began practicing with the London club at the age of six and - having progressed through the youth system and into the senior squad - is now team leader.

James announced himself to Chelsea supporters in style, netting on his first appearance in a 7-1 victory over the opposition in September 2019.

Currently twenty-five, James' career highlights to date include making his England debut against the Welsh team in 2020, claiming the Champions League with Chelsea in 2021, and being named club captain in 2023.

Nevertheless, things have not always gone smoothly, with multiple fitness issues affecting him over the past four seasons.

The athlete spoke with the interviewer to discuss his career highs, the Brazilian's impact, and his relationship with seven-time F1 world champion Lewis Hamilton.

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'm sure many will recognize that area. My beverage is a specific coffee type.

The host: Has it always been a flat white?

James: No, it started with, like, vanilla lattes and stuff.

Kelly: We'll begin by talking football. What significance does soccer hold to you?

Reece: Essentially, from a little kid, it was practically my entire focus in education. I wasn't exactly the brightest kid, and I just loved playing football.

Kelly: Your first recollection of participating? Is this tough to answer because it was such a significant aspect of your childhood and growing up?

James: No, just because my recollection is so bad. My earliest memory was probably, unsure, going to watch my sibling compete. He's two years older than me, and he also participated as well.

Kelly: It was significant in your household, wasn't it, because your dad was deeply engaged? He is a football coach too, right? Tell me a little about that.

Reece: So we were three of us during childhood. We were completely soccer-obsessed, and he obviously was a trainer as well, and we used to train extensively with him.

Kelly: Do you remember a lot of those training periods? Because I read that as young as the age of four, you practiced outdoors and he was doing exercises with you in the back garden.

Reece: Yeah, I remember - the training began early. Fortunately, they proved beneficial for myself and my sister [the club and national team attacker his sister].

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

Reece: My recollection is limited, to be honest. It was Kew Park Rangers in Kew. I believe I was there for about twelve months. From that point that talent spotters noticed me for Chelsea.

Kelly: And you weren't a defender at first, were you? Explain about your positional journey and its development...

Reece: I began as a forward, and then eventually transitioned to wide positions, left wing, right side, 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: Since I always wanted to play midfield. You didn't touch the ball as much but eventually it just clicked and I became a defender since.

Kelly: You mentioned you began as a forward - who served as your role model?

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

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

Reece: I would probably say going on loan. Transitioning between academy and senior level is most challenging and that is likely what most players making the jump find challenging.

The presenter: You're talking about Wigan, of course. Why was Wigan the ideal team for you at that period? The location was distant from all you knew in the capital - why did it work so well?

Reece: The primary factor is that I featured consistently, which helps. I gained valuable exposure - I moved away from my companions and family and had to grow up fast. Playing on a regular schedule assisted a lot.

The interviewer: Who has had the greatest influence on your career?

The athlete: I would say [Brazil defender] Thiago Silva. He's almost sufficiently experienced to be my father and has played at elite standard for many years. He consistently attempted to help me from the moment he joined and continues to, even now he is not here [having left Chelsea in that year].

Kelly: How specifically would he assist you?

Reece: It was little messages off the pitch. During matches, he occasionally see things that I perceived alternatively and try and paint a different picture.

The presenter: It was undoubtedly pleasant to meet him this summer [at the Club World Cup]?

The defender: It proved wonderful to reconnect with him. I'm pleased that his club did well in the competition [they lost in the penultimate round to the champions Chelsea]. It is consistently positive to encounter him.

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

Reece: If the outcome is going to be the identical - it would be the European Cup decider.

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