Style Obsession, Idolizing Drogba & Friendship with Lewis Hamilton
- Published
This Sports Conversation represents an innovative program where prominent figures from sports and show business participate with presenter Kelly Somers for candid and comprehensive dialogues about football.
The program examines mental approach and drive, covering pivotal experiences, professional achievements and personal reflections. The Football Interview uncovers the individual behind the player.
Reece James started training with Chelsea at the age of six and - having progressed through the academy and into the senior squad - is now team leader.
The defender introduced himself to Chelsea supporters in style, netting on his debut in a 7-1 victory over the opposition in September 2019.
Now 25, James' career highlights to date include making his England debut 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, things have not always gone smoothly, with a series of injuries impacting him over recent years.
James sat down with Kelly Somers to discuss his professional peaks, the Brazilian's impact, and his friendship with multiple Formula One title winner Lewis Hamilton.
The defender discusses Thiago Silva's impact on his career
The interviewer: Initial inquiry: name, where you're from, and what's your coffee order?
The athlete: The name is Reece James, I grew up in the area, near Richmond - I'm sure more people will recognize that area. My beverage is a specific coffee type.
Kelly: Was it consistently a flat white?
Reece: No, I began with, such as, flavored coffees and stuff.
The presenter: We'll begin by discussing soccer. What does football mean to you?
The defender: Essentially, from a little kid, it's kind of my entire focus in school. I wasn't the most academic student, 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?
Reece: Not particularly, just because my recollection is so bad. My first remembrance was probably, unsure, going to watch my sibling play. He's two years older than me, and he also participated as well.
Kelly: It was big in your family, correct, because your dad was so heavily involved? He is a football coach 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 used to train extensively with him.
The presenter: Can you recall a lot of those sessions? Because I read that starting from the age of four, you were outside and he conducted drills with you in the yard.
Reece: Yes, I recall - the training started young. Fortunately, they paid off for myself and my sibling [Chelsea and England attacker his sister].
Kelly: Tell me about your initial club that you represented as a youngster, what was it called, and what can you remember?
Reece: I don't remember much, frankly. It was Kew Park Rangers in the area. I believe I played 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, correct? Explain about your role evolution and its development...
Reece: I started off as a forward, and then subsequently moved to wide positions, left wing, right side, and eventually to central positions, and then finally at right-back, and I hated it at that period.
The presenter: Why did you hate it?
The athlete: Because I consistently desired to occupy central positions. There was less involvement with the ball as frequently but eventually it just clicked and I became a right-back since.
The defender claimed the prestigious trophy in that year when his team defeated Man City by one goal in the final in the Portuguese city
Kelly: You mentioned you started as a forward - who served as your idol?
Reece: The player I admired was [the legendary] Drogba. I was a Chelsea fan during youth and he was the athlete I admired.
The host: Can you think of a turning point in your professional life - an experience that has influenced your development and the player you have evolved into?
Reece: I would probably say the loan spell. Transitioning between youth and first-team football is the hardest and this represents likely what most players transitioning upwards find challenging.
Kelly: You're talking about Wigan, of course. What made did Wigan become the right club for you at that period? It was distant from everything 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 a lot of experiences - I relocated from my friends and relatives and was forced to mature fast. Participating on a regular schedule helped a lot.
The interviewer: Which individual exerted the greatest influence on your career?
The athlete: I'd identify [the experienced Brazilian] the veteran. He is nearly old enough to be my father and has competed at elite standard for many years. He always tried to help me from the minute he joined and still does, presently he is departed [having left Chelsea in that year].
Kelly: How specifically would he help you?
James: It was small pieces of advice off the pitch. On the pitch, he occasionally observe situations that I saw alternatively and attempt and offer alternative perspectives.
The presenter: It must have been nice to see him this summer [at the Club World Cup]?
The defender: It proved great to reconnect with him. I'm pleased that his team did well in the tournament [they were defeated in the semi-finals to the champions Chelsea]. It is always good to see him.
Kelly: If you could go back and experience again one match in your career, what would you choose?
Reece: Assuming the result is going to be the same - I'd select the European Cup decider.
Kelly: Besides winning, what was so special about the occasion
