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

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This Sports Conversation represents an innovative program in which leading personalities from sports and entertainment join presenter Kelly Somers for frank and detailed discussions about the beautiful game.

The program examines mindset and drive, discussing defining moments, career highlights and personal reflections. The Football Interview reveals the individual behind the athlete.

Reece James started practicing with the London club at the age of six and - after developing through the academy and into the first team - is now club captain.

The defender introduced himself to the Stamford Bridge faithful in style, netting on his debut in a comprehensive win over Grimsby Town in 2019.

Currently twenty-five, James' career highlights so far include earning his England debut against Wales in the year 2020, winning the Champions League with his club in 2021, and being named 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 professional peaks, the Brazilian's impact, and his friendship with seven-time F1 world champion Lewis Hamilton.

The interviewer: Initial inquiry: name, your origins, and your preferred coffee?

Reece James: The name is Reece James, I grew up in the area, near Richmond - I expect many will know that area. My coffee is a flat white.

Kelly: Was it consistently a flat white?

Reece: Not exactly, I began with, like, flavored coffees and similar drinks.

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

The defender: Essentially, from childhood, it was practically all I knew in education. I wasn't the brightest kid, and I simply adored the sport.

Kelly: Your first recollection of playing? Is this difficult to respond to because it was such a big part of your early years and growing up?

James: No, simply due to my recollection is quite poor. My earliest memory was probably, 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 household, correct, because your father was deeply engaged? He is a soccer trainer too, right? Tell me a little about that.

The athlete: Well we were three of us during childhood. We were 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 sessions? Because I read that as young as the age of four, you practiced outdoors and he conducted exercises with you in the yard.

James: Yes, I remember - the training started young. Fortunately, they proved beneficial for me and my sister [the club and England forward his sister].

The interviewer: Talk to me about your initial club that you represented as a child, its name, and your memories?

Reece: I don't remember much, to be honest. That was the local team in Kew. I believe I played for about twelve months. From that point that I was scouted for Chelsea.

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

James: I started off as a striker, and then subsequently moved to the wing, left wing, right wing, and eventually to midfield, and then eventually at right-back, and I disliked it at that period.

Kelly: Why did you hate it?

The athlete: Since I consistently desired to occupy central positions. You didn't touch the football as much but eventually it just clicked and I became a right-back since.

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

James: The player I admired was [Didier] Drogba. I was a Chelsea fan growing up and he was the player I looked up to.

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

The defender: I'd likely identify going on loan. Bridging the gap between academy and first-team football is most challenging and that is probably what many athletes making the jump find challenging.

The presenter: You're referring to the club, naturally. Why did Wigan become the right club for you at that period? It was distant from all you knew in the capital - why did it work so well?

James: The first thing is that I featured week in week out, which proves beneficial. I acquired a lot of experiences - I moved away from my friends and family and was forced to mature quickly. Participating on a consistent basis helped a lot.

The interviewer: Which individual exerted the biggest impact on your professional journey?

The athlete: I'd identify [the experienced Brazilian] the veteran. He is almost sufficiently experienced to be my father and has competed at elite standard for many years. He consistently attempted to assist me from the moment he joined and continues to, presently he is not here [after leaving the club in that year].

Kelly: How specifically would he help you?

James: These were small pieces of advice away from games. On the pitch, he occasionally see things that I perceived alternatively and try and paint a different picture.

The presenter: It was undoubtedly pleasant to see him recently [during the tournament]?

The defender: It was wonderful to reconnect with him. I'm happy that his team did well in the competition [they were defeated in the penultimate round to the champions his team]. It's always good to see him.

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

James: Assuming the result is going to be the same - I'd select the Champions League [final].

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