Style Obsession, Looking Up To Drogba & Friendship with Hamilton

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This Sports Conversation represents a new series in which prominent figures from sports and entertainment join host the interviewer for candid and detailed dialogues about football.

We'll explore mindset and drive, discussing defining moments, career highlights and individual insights. This series uncovers the person behind the player.

The Chelsea defender started practicing with Chelsea at six years old and - having progressed through the academy and into the first team - is now club captain.

James announced himself to Chelsea supporters in style, scoring on his first appearance in a 7-1 victory over the opposition in September 2019.

Currently twenty-five, his professional achievements so far include making his England debut against the Welsh team in the year 2020, winning the European Cup with Chelsea in 2021, and being appointed team skipper in 2023.

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

The athlete spoke with Kelly Somers to talk about his professional peaks, the Brazilian's impact, and his relationship with seven-time F1 world champion Lewis Hamilton.

Kelly Somers: First question: identity, your origins, and your preferred coffee?

Reece James: I am Reece James, I was raised in Mortlake, near Richmond - I expect many will recognize that area. My coffee is a specific coffee type.

The host: Was it consistently a flat white?

Reece: No, it started with, like, vanilla lattes and stuff.

The presenter: We'll begin by discussing soccer. What does football mean to you?

Reece: I mean, from a little kid, it's kind of my entire focus in school. I wasn't the most academic student, and I just loved the sport.

Kelly: Your first recollection of playing? Is this difficult to respond to because it represented a big part of your childhood and development?

Reece: No, just because my recollection is so bad. My earliest memory was probably, unsure, going to watch my brother compete. He's two years older than me, and he used to play as well.

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

The athlete: Well we were three children growing up. It was completely soccer-obsessed, and he naturally was a trainer as well, and we frequently practiced extensively with him.

The presenter: Do you remember many of those sessions? Since I read that starting from the four years old, you practiced outdoors and he was doing drills with you in the yard.

James: Yes, I recall - the drills began early. Fortunately, they paid off for me and my sibling [the club and national team forward his sister].

The interviewer: Talk to me about your first ever team that you played for as a child, its name, and what can you remember?

Reece: I don't remember much, frankly. That was Kew Park Rangers in Kew. I believe I played for about a year. From that point that I was scouted for Chelsea.

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

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

Kelly: What caused your dislike for it?

Reece: Because I always wanted to play midfield. There was less involvement with the ball as frequently but eventually it just clicked and I became a right-back since.

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

Reece: The player I admired was [the legendary] Drogba. I was a supporter during youth and he was the athlete I looked up to.

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

Reece: I'd likely identify the loan spell. Bridging the gap between academy and first-team football is most challenging and this represents probably what many athletes making the jump find challenging.

The presenter: You're talking about the club, naturally. Why did Wigan become the ideal team for you at the time? The location was distant from all you were familiar with in London - what made it successful so well?

James: The primary factor is that I played week in week out, which helps. I gained valuable exposure - I relocated from my friends and relatives and had to grow up fast. Playing on a regular schedule helped a lot.

Kelly: Who has had the greatest influence on your professional journey?

The athlete: I would say [Brazil defender] the veteran. He's almost sufficiently experienced to be my father and has competed at the highest level for many years. He consistently attempted to help me from the minute he joined and continues to, even now he is not here [having left Chelsea in that year].

The host: In what way would he assist you?

Reece: It was small pieces of advice away from games. On the pitch, he would sometimes observe situations that I saw differently and attempt and offer alternative perspectives.

The presenter: It must have been nice to meet him recently [during the tournament]?

Reece: It was wonderful to see him again. I'm pleased that his club did well in the competition [they lost in the semi-finals to eventual winners Chelsea]. It is always good to encounter him.

The interviewer: Were you able to return and experience again one match in your professional history, which would you pick?

Reece: If the outcome is remains the identical - it would be the Champions League [final].

The host: Besides winning, what was so special about that night