Fashion Passion, Idolizing Drogba & Friendship with Hamilton

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The Football Interview represents an innovative program in which prominent figures from sports and show business join host Kelly Somers for candid and detailed discussions about the beautiful game.

The program examines mental approach and drive, covering pivotal experiences, career highlights and personal reflections. The Football Interview uncovers the person behind the player.

The Chelsea defender started practicing with Chelsea at the age of six and - after developing through the youth system and into the first team - is now club captain.

The defender introduced himself to the Stamford Bridge faithful in impressive fashion, scoring on his first appearance in a comprehensive win over the opposition in 2019.

Currently twenty-five, his professional achievements to date include making his international bow against the Welsh team in the year 2020, claiming the Champions League with Chelsea in 2021, and being appointed team skipper in 2023.

Nevertheless, his journey hasn't been without challenges, with a series of injuries impacting him over the past four seasons.

James sat down with Kelly Somers to discuss his career highs, the Brazilian's impact, and his friendship with multiple Formula One title winner Lewis Hamilton.

Kelly Somers: Initial inquiry: identity, where you're from, and what's your coffee order?

Reece James: I am Reece James, I was raised in the area, near Richmond - I expect more people will recognize that area. My coffee is a flat white.

Kelly: Was it consistently a that particular coffee?

Reece: Not exactly, it started with, such as, vanilla lattes and stuff.

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

The defender: Essentially, from a little kid, it's kind of all I knew in education. I wasn't exactly the most academic student, and I simply adored the sport.

The interviewer: 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?

Reece: Not particularly, simply due to my memory is quite poor. My earliest memory was probably, I don't know, attending matches of my brother play. He's two years older than me, and he used to play as well.

The host: It was big in your family, wasn't it, because your father was deeply engaged? He's a soccer trainer too, right? Tell me a little about that.

The athlete: So there was three children during childhood. It was all football mad, and he obviously was a coach as well, and we frequently practiced a lot with him.

The presenter: Do you remember a lot of those training periods? Because I read that starting from the age of four, you practiced outdoors and he was doing drills with you in the back garden.

Reece: Yes, I remember - the training began early. Fortunately, they proved beneficial for myself and my sibling [the club and national team forward Lauren James].

Kelly: Tell me about your first ever team that you represented as a youngster, what was it called, and what can you remember?

Reece: My recollection is limited, frankly. It was the local team in the area. I believe I played for about a year. From that point that I was scouted for the professional club.

The host: And you weren't a defender at initially, were you? Explain about your positional journey and how that changed...

Reece: I started off as a striker, and then eventually moved to wide positions, left wing, right wing, and later 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 play midfield. You didn't touch the ball as frequently but one day it just clicked and I became a right-back since.

The interviewer: You said you began as an attacker - who was your role model?

James: The player I admired was [the legendary] Drogba. I was a supporter growing up and he represented the athlete I admired.

Kelly: Can you think of a turning point in your career - a moment that has influenced your development and the professional you have evolved into?

Reece: I'd likely identify the loan spell. Transitioning between youth and first-team football is most challenging and that is probably what many athletes making the jump find challenging.

Kelly: You're referring to the club, of course. What made did Wigan become the right club for you at that period? The location was miles away from all you were familiar with in the capital - what made it successful so effectively?

James: The primary factor is that I played week in week out, which proves beneficial. I gained a lot of experiences - I moved away from my friends and family and had to grow up quickly. Participating on a consistent basis assisted significantly.

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

Reece: I would say [the experienced Brazilian] the veteran. He is almost sufficiently experienced to be my dad and has played at the highest level for many years. He consistently attempted to help me from the minute he joined and still does, presently he is not here [having left Chelsea in 2024].

Kelly: How specifically would he assist you?

James: These were small pieces of advice off the pitch. On the pitch, he occasionally observe situations that I saw differently and attempt and offer alternative perspectives.

Kelly: It must have been pleasant to meet him recently [at the Club World Cup]?

Reece: It proved wonderful to reconnect with him. I'm pleased that his club did well in the tournament [they were defeated in the penultimate round to eventual winners Chelsea]. It's always good 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: Assuming the result is going to be the same - I'd select the European Cup decider.

The host: Other than winning, what made it exceptional about the occasion