Style Obsession, Idolizing Didier Drogba & Bond with Lewis Hamilton
- Released
This Sports Conversation represents a new series in which leading personalities from athletics and entertainment participate with presenter Kelly Somers for candid and comprehensive discussions about football.
The program examines mental approach and drive, covering pivotal experiences, professional achievements and individual insights. This series reveals the person beyond the athlete.
The Chelsea defender started practicing with Chelsea at the age of six and - having progressed through the youth system and into the senior squad - is now club captain.
James announced himself to the Stamford Bridge faithful in impressive fashion, scoring on his first appearance in a comprehensive win over Grimsby Town in 2019.
Now 25, his professional achievements to date include earning his England debut against the Welsh team in the year 2020, winning the European Cup with Chelsea in 2021, and being named club captain in 2023.
However, things have not always gone smoothly, with multiple fitness issues impacting him over the past four seasons.
James sat down with Kelly Somers to discuss his professional peaks, the Brazilian's impact, and his friendship with seven-time F1 world champion the racing driver.
The defender discusses Thiago Silva's impact on his career
The interviewer: Initial inquiry: name, your origins, and your preferred coffee?
The athlete: I am Reece James, I grew up in Mortlake, near Richmond - I'm sure more people will know that area. My coffee is a flat white.
Kelly: Was it consistently a flat white?
James: Not exactly, I began with, like, flavored coffees and stuff.
The presenter: We'll begin by talking football. What does football mean to you?
Reece: Essentially, from a little kid, it's kind of my entire focus in education. I wasn't the brightest kid, and I just loved the sport.
Kelly: What's your earliest memory of participating? Is this difficult to respond to because it represented a significant aspect of your childhood and growing up?
James: Not particularly, just because my recollection is quite poor. My first remembrance was likely, unsure, going to watch my sibling play. He is my senior by two years than me, and he also participated as well.
The host: It was big in your family, correct, because your dad was so heavily involved? He is a football coach too, isn't he? Share with me a bit about that.
The athlete: So we were three children growing up. It was completely soccer-obsessed, and he naturally was a trainer as well, and we frequently practiced a lot with him.
Kelly: Do you remember many of those sessions? Because I learned that as young as the four years old, you practiced outdoors and he conducted drills with you in the yard.
James: Yes, I remember - the training began early. Fortunately, they paid off for myself and my sibling [Chelsea and national team attacker his sister].
Kelly: Tell me about your first ever team that you represented as a youngster, what was it called, and your memories?
Reece: My recollection is limited, to be honest. It was the local team in Kew. I believe I was there for about a year. It was from there that I was scouted for Chelsea.
The host: And you weren't a backline player at initially, correct? Talk to me about your positional journey and how that changed...
Reece: I began as a forward, and then eventually moved to wide positions, left wing, right wing, and eventually to midfield, and then finally at defensive role, and I hated it at the time.
Kelly: Why did you hate it?
The athlete: Because I consistently desired to occupy central positions. You didn't touch the ball as much but one day everything fell into place and I've been a defender since.
Reece James won the prestigious trophy in 2021 when his team defeated Manchester City by one goal in the final in Porto
The interviewer: You mentioned you began as an attacker - who was your role model?
Reece: The player I admired was [Didier] Drogba. I was a supporter growing up and he represented the player I looked up to.
The host: Identify 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 youth and first-team football is most challenging and that is likely what most players transitioning upwards find challenging.
The presenter: 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 were familiar with in London - what made it successful so effectively?
James: The first thing is that I played consistently, which helps. I gained a lot of experiences - I relocated from my companions and relatives and had to grow up fast. Playing on a consistent basis helped significantly.
The interviewer: Which individual exerted the greatest influence on your professional journey?
Reece: I would say [the experienced Brazilian] Thiago Silva. He is nearly sufficiently experienced to be my dad and has played at elite standard for many years. He consistently attempted to assist me from the minute he joined and continues to, even now he is not here [having left Chelsea in 2024].
Kelly: In what way would he assist you?
James: These were small pieces of advice off the pitch. On the pitch, he occasionally see things that I perceived differently and try and offer alternative perspectives.
Kelly: It must have been pleasant to see him this summer [during the tournament]?
Reece: It proved great to see him again. I'm pleased that his team performed admirably in the tournament [they lost in the semi-finals to the champions his team]. It is consistently positive to see him.
The interviewer: Were you able to return and experience again one match in your career, what would you choose?
James: If the outcome is remains the identical - it would be the Champions League [final].
The host: Besides victory, what made it exceptional about that night
