Fashion Passion, Idolizing Drogba & Friendship with Lewis Hamilton

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  47 minutes ago

The Football Interview represents an innovative program in which leading personalities from sports and show business join host the interviewer for candid and detailed dialogues about football.

We'll explore mental approach and drive, discussing defining moments, career highlights and personal reflections. This series reveals the person behind the player.

The Chelsea defender began training 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 Chelsea supporters in style, scoring on his first appearance in a comprehensive win over Grimsby Town in September 2019.

Now 25, James' career highlights to date include earning his international bow against Wales in 2020, winning the European Cup with Chelsea in 2021, and being named club captain in 2023.

However, his journey hasn't been without challenges, with multiple fitness issues affecting him over recent years.

The athlete spoke with the interviewer to discuss his career highs, the Brazilian's impact, and his friendship with multiple Formula One title winner the racing driver.

The interviewer: First question: name, your origins, and what's your coffee order?

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

The host: Has it always been a that particular coffee?

Reece: No, I began with, like, flavored coffees and stuff.

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

The defender: I mean, from a little kid, it was practically my entire focus in education. I wasn't the most academic student, and I just loved the sport.

Kelly: Your first recollection of playing? Is this tough to answer because it represented a big part of your early years and development?

Reece: No, simply due to my recollection is quite poor. My earliest memory was probably, I don't know, going to watch my brother play. He's two years older than me, and he also participated as well.

The host: It was big in your household, wasn't it, because your dad was so heavily involved? He is a football coach too, right? Share with me a little about that.

The athlete: So we were three of us during childhood. We were all football mad, and he naturally was a trainer as well, and we frequently practiced a lot with him.

The presenter: Can you recall many of those training periods? Because I read that as young as the age of four, you practiced outdoors and he was doing drills with you in the back garden.

James: Yeah, I remember - the training started young. Fortunately, they proved beneficial for myself and my sister [the club and national team attacker Lauren James].

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

Reece: My recollection is limited, to be honest. That was Kew Park Rangers in Kew. I believe I was there for about a year. From that point that I was scouted for the professional club.

Kelly: You didn't start as a backline player at initially, correct? Explain about your role evolution and how that changed...

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

The presenter: Why did you hate it?

Reece: Since I consistently desired to occupy central positions. There was less involvement with the ball as much but eventually everything fell into place and I've been a right-back since.

Kelly: You said you started as a forward - who was your idol?

Reece: My idol was [Didier] Drogba. I was a supporter growing up and he represented the athlete I looked up to.

Kelly: Can you think of a pivotal moment in your professional life - an experience that has influenced your development and the professional you have become?

Reece: I would probably say the loan spell. Bridging the gap between youth and first-team football is the hardest and this represents likely what many athletes transitioning upwards find difficult.

Kelly: You're referring to the club, of course. Why was Wigan the ideal team for you at that period? It was miles away from everything you knew in London - why did it work so effectively?

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

Kelly: Who has had the greatest influence on your career?

The athlete: I would say [Brazil defender] the veteran. He is almost old enough to be my father and has competed at the highest level for so long. He always tried to assist me from the minute he joined and continues to, even now he is not here [having left Chelsea in 2024].

Kelly: How specifically would he assist you?

James: It was little messages off the pitch. During matches, he would sometimes see things that I saw alternatively and attempt and paint a different picture.

Kelly: It was undoubtedly nice to see him recently [at the Club World Cup]?

Reece: It proved wonderful to see him again. I'm happy that his club did well in the competition [they were defeated in the penultimate round to eventual winners his team]. It's always good to encounter him.

The interviewer: Were you able to return and experience again one match 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: Besides victory, what made it exceptional about the occasion