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

• Published
  47 minutes ago

This Sports Conversation represents a new series where prominent figures from athletics and show business participate with presenter Kelly Somers for frank and detailed dialogues about football.

The program examines mental approach and drive, discussing pivotal experiences, career highlights and personal reflections. The Football Interview reveals the person behind the athlete.

The Chelsea defender began training with the London club 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 Chelsea supporters in style, netting on his first appearance in a 7-1 victory over Grimsby Town in September 2019.

Now 25, his professional achievements so far include earning his international bow against the Welsh team in 2020, claiming the Champions League with his club in 2021, and being appointed club captain in 2023.

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

James sat down with Kelly Somers to talk about 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?

Reece James: I am Reece James, I grew up in Mortlake, near Richmond - I expect more people will recognize that location. My beverage is a flat white.

The host: Was it consistently a that particular coffee?

Reece: No, I began with, such as, flavored coffees and similar drinks.

The presenter: Let's start by talking football. What significance does soccer hold to you?

The defender: Essentially, from a little kid, it's kind of all I knew in school. I wasn't the most academic student, and I just loved the sport.

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

James: No, just because my recollection is quite poor. My earliest memory was probably, unsure, attending matches of my sibling play. He's two years older than me, and he also participated as well.

The host: It was significant in your household, correct, because your dad was so heavily involved? He is a football coach too, isn't he? Tell me a bit about that.

Reece: So we were three of us growing up. It was completely soccer-obsessed, and he naturally was a coach as well, and we frequently practiced a lot with him.

The presenter: Can you recall a lot of those training periods? Because I learned that as young as the four years old, you practiced outdoors and he conducted exercises with you in the yard.

Reece: Yeah, I recall - the training began early. Fortunately, they paid off for myself and my sister [Chelsea and national team attacker his sister].

The interviewer: Tell me about your initial club that you represented as a youngster, its name, and what can you remember?

The defender: My recollection is limited, to be honest. That was the local team in the area. I think I was there for about a year. It was from there that I was scouted for Chelsea.

The host: You didn't start as a backline player at first, correct? Explain about your role evolution and its development...

Reece: I began as a forward, and then subsequently moved to the wing, left wing, right wing, and eventually to midfield, and then eventually at defensive role, and I hated it at the time.

Kelly: What caused your dislike for it?

Reece: Because I always wanted to occupy central positions. There was less involvement with the football as frequently but one day everything fell into place and I've been a defender since.

The interviewer: You said you started as a forward - who was your role model?

James: My idol was [Didier] Drogba. I was a supporter growing up and he represented the player I admired.

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

The defender: I'd likely identify the loan spell. Bridging the gap between youth and first-team football is most challenging and this represents probably what most players transitioning upwards find challenging.

The presenter: You're referring to Wigan, naturally. What made did Wigan become the right club for you at the time? The location was distant from all you were familiar with in London - why did it work so well?

Reece: The first thing is that I played week in week out, which proves beneficial. I gained a lot of experiences - I relocated from my friends and family and had to mature quickly. Participating on a consistent basis assisted a lot.

Kelly: Who has had the biggest impact on your career?

The athlete: I would say [the experienced Brazilian] Thiago Silva. He's almost old enough to be my father and has played at the highest level for so long. He always tried to assist me from the minute he arrived and continues to, presently he is departed [having left Chelsea in 2024].

Kelly: In what way would he assist you?

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

The presenter: It must have been nice to see him recently [at the Club World Cup]?

The defender: It proved great to reconnect with him. I'm happy that his club performed admirably in the competition [they were defeated in the semi-finals to the champions Chelsea]. It is always good to see him.

The interviewer: Were you able to return and replay a single game in your career, which would you pick?

Reece: If the outcome is going to be the same - I'd select the European Cup decider.

The host: Besides victory, what was so special about the occasion