Fashion Passion, Looking Up To Drogba & Friendship with Hamilton
- Released
The Football Interview represents an innovative program where prominent figures from sports and show business join presenter Kelly Somers for frank and detailed dialogues about the beautiful game.
The program examines mental approach and motivation, covering pivotal experiences, professional achievements and individual insights. The Football Interview uncovers the person behind the athlete.
Reece James started practicing with Chelsea at six years old and - having progressed through the youth system 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 the opposition in September 2019.
Now 25, his professional achievements so far include earning his England debut against the Welsh team in 2020, claiming the European Cup with his club in 2021, and being appointed team skipper in 2023.
Nevertheless, things have not always gone smoothly, with multiple fitness issues impacting him over the past four seasons.
James sat down with the interviewer to discuss his career highs, Thiago Silva's influence, and his friendship with multiple Formula One title winner Lewis Hamilton.
The defender discusses the veteran's influence on his professional journey
The interviewer: First question: name, your origins, and your preferred coffee?
Reece James: I am Reece James, I grew up in the area, near Richmond - I'm sure more people will know that area. My coffee is a flat white.
Kelly: Has it always been a flat white?
Reece: No, it started with, such as, flavored coffees and similar drinks.
The presenter: Let's start by talking football. What does football mean to you?
Reece: I mean, from a little kid, it was practically my entire focus in school. I wasn't exactly the brightest kid, and I simply adored the sport.
The interviewer: Your first recollection of participating? Is this tough to answer because it represented a big part of your early years and growing up?
Reece: Not particularly, just because my recollection is so bad. My earliest memory was likely, unsure, going to watch my brother play. He is my senior by two years than me, and he used to play as well.
The host: It was big in your family, correct, because your father was so heavily involved? He is a soccer trainer too, isn't he? Tell me a bit about that.
Reece: Well there was three children during childhood. It was all football mad, and he naturally was a coach as well, and we used to train extensively with him.
Kelly: Do you remember many of those training periods? Since I learned that as young as the age of four, you practiced outdoors and he conducted drills with you in the back garden.
James: Yes, I recall - the training began early. Thankfully, they proved beneficial for me and my sister [Chelsea and national team forward Lauren James].
The interviewer: Tell me about your initial club that you represented as a youngster, what was it called, and your memories?
Reece: My recollection is limited, frankly. That was the local team in Kew. I believe I played for about twelve months. It was from there that I was scouted for the professional club.
Kelly: And you weren't a backline player at first, were you? Explain about your role evolution and its development...
James: I started off as a striker, and then subsequently transitioned to wide positions, left side, right side, and eventually to midfield, and then finally at defensive role, and I disliked it at that period.
Kelly: What caused your dislike for it?
The athlete: Since I always wanted to play midfield. There was less involvement with the ball as frequently but eventually everything fell into place and I've been a right-back since.
Reece James won the Champions League in that year when his team beat Man City by one goal in the final in the Portuguese city
Kelly: You said you began as an attacker - who served as your role model?
James: The player I admired was [Didier] Drogba. I was a supporter growing up and he represented the player I admired.
Kelly: Identify a turning point in your professional life - an experience that has shaped you and the player you have become?
Reece: I'd likely identify the loan spell. Transitioning between academy and first-team football is the hardest and that is probably what many athletes making the jump find challenging.
The presenter: You're talking about the club, naturally. Why did Wigan become the right club for you at that period? The location was distant from everything you knew in London - what made it successful so well?
Reece: The primary factor is that I featured week in week out, which proves beneficial. I acquired valuable exposure - I moved away from my companions and family and was forced to mature quickly. Playing on a regular schedule helped a lot.
Kelly: Which individual exerted the biggest impact on your professional journey?
Reece: I'd identify [the experienced Brazilian] Thiago Silva. He is almost old enough to be my dad and has competed at the highest level for so long. He consistently attempted to assist me from the moment he arrived and continues to, even now he is departed [after leaving the club in that year].
Kelly: How specifically would he assist you?
Reece: It was little messages away from games. On the pitch, he occasionally see things that I saw differently and attempt and offer alternative perspectives.
The presenter: It must have been pleasant to meet him this summer [at the Club World Cup]?
Reece: It proved great to see him again. I'm happy that his team performed admirably in the tournament [they lost in the semi-finals to the champions his team]. It is consistently positive to encounter him.
The interviewer: Were you able to go back and replay a single game in your career, which would you pick?
Reece: If the outcome is remains the same - I'd select the Champions League [final].
Kelly: Besides winning, what was so special about the occasion
