Style Obsession, Looking Up To Didier Drogba & Friendship with Hamilton
- Released
The Football Interview constitutes a new series in which prominent figures from athletics and show business participate with presenter the interviewer for frank and detailed discussions about the beautiful game.
The program examines mental approach and drive, covering defining moments, professional achievements and personal reflections. The Football Interview uncovers the person behind the athlete.
The Chelsea defender started practicing with Chelsea at the age of six and - having progressed through the academy and into the first team - is now team leader.
James announced himself to the Stamford Bridge faithful in style, scoring on his debut in a 7-1 victory over the opposition in September 2019.
Currently twenty-five, his professional achievements so far include making his international bow against Wales in the year 2020, winning the Champions League with his club in 2021, and being appointed 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, Thiago Silva's influence, and his friendship with multiple Formula One title winner the racing driver.
The defender discusses the veteran's influence on his career
Kelly Somers: 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'm sure many will know that location. My coffee is a specific coffee type.
Kelly: Has it always been a flat white?
Reece: Not exactly, it started with, like, vanilla lattes and stuff.
The presenter: Let's start by discussing soccer. What does football mean to you?
The defender: I mean, from childhood, it was practically all I knew in school. I wasn't exactly the most academic student, and I just loved playing football.
The interviewer: Your first recollection of playing? Is this difficult to respond to because it represented a significant aspect of your early years and growing up?
James: No, just because my recollection is so bad. My earliest memory was probably, unsure, attending matches of my brother compete. He is my senior by two years than me, and he used to play as well.
Kelly: It was significant in your household, wasn't it, because your father was deeply engaged? He is a football coach too, right? Share with me a bit about that.
The athlete: So there was three children during childhood. We were all football mad, and he obviously was a coach as well, and we used to train a lot with him.
Kelly: Do you remember many of those sessions? Since I learned that as young as the age of four, you practiced outdoors and he was doing exercises with you in the yard.
Reece: Yeah, I recall - the drills began early. Fortunately, they paid off for myself and my sibling [Chelsea and national team attacker his sister].
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 the area. I think I was there for about twelve months. It was from there that I was scouted for Chelsea.
Kelly: And you weren't a defender at initially, correct? Explain about your positional journey and how that changed...
Reece: I began as a striker, and then eventually moved to wide positions, left side, right side, and later to central positions, and then eventually at right-back, and I disliked it at that period.
The presenter: Why did you hate it?
The athlete: Because I always wanted to play midfield. There was less involvement with the ball as frequently but one day it just clicked and I became a defender since.
Reece James won the Champions League in that year when his team beat Man City by one goal in the championship match in Porto
Kelly: You mentioned you started as an attacker - who served as your role model?
James: The player I admired was [Didier] Drogba. I was a Chelsea fan during youth and he represented the player I looked up to.
The host: Can you think of a turning point in your career - an experience that has influenced your development and the professional you have become?
The defender: I would probably say going on loan. Bridging the gap between academy and senior level is most challenging and that is likely what most players transitioning upwards find difficult.
The presenter: You're talking about Wigan, naturally. What made did Wigan become the ideal team for you at that period? It was miles away from everything you were familiar with in London - what made it successful so effectively?
James: The primary factor is that I featured week in week out, which proves beneficial. I gained valuable exposure - I moved away from my companions and relatives and was forced to mature quickly. Playing on a consistent basis helped a lot.
Kelly: Which individual exerted the greatest influence on your career?
Reece: I'd identify [the experienced Brazilian] Thiago Silva. He's almost sufficiently experienced to be my father and has competed at elite standard for many years. He consistently attempted to assist me from the minute he arrived and still does, presently he is not here [having left Chelsea in that year].
The host: How specifically would he help you?
James: It was little messages off the pitch. On the pitch, he would sometimes see things that I saw alternatively and attempt and paint a different picture.
The presenter: It was undoubtedly pleasant to meet him this summer [at the Club World Cup]?
Reece: It proved great to see him again. I'm pleased that his team did well in the tournament [they lost in the semi-finals to eventual winners his team]. It is always good to encounter him.
The interviewer: Were you able to return and replay one match in your professional history, what would you choose?
Reece: Assuming the result is going to be the identical - it would be the European Cup decider.
The host: Besides victory, what made it exceptional about that night
