Style Obsession, Idolizing Didier Drogba & Friendship with Lewis Hamilton

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This Sports Conversation represents a new series where prominent figures from sports and entertainment participate with presenter the interviewer for frank and detailed discussions about football.

The program examines mental approach and motivation, discussing pivotal experiences, career highlights and personal reflections. The Football Interview reveals the individual behind the player.

Reece James started training 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, netting on his first appearance in a comprehensive win over Grimsby Town in 2019.

Currently twenty-five, his professional achievements so far include earning his international bow against the Welsh team in the year 2020, winning the European Cup with his club in 2021, and being appointed team skipper in 2023.

However, 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 discuss his professional peaks, Thiago Silva's influence, and his relationship with seven-time F1 world champion Lewis Hamilton.

The interviewer: First question: identity, where you're from, and your preferred coffee?

The athlete: I am Reece James, I was raised in the area, near Richmond - I expect more people will know that area. My beverage is a specific coffee type.

Kelly: Has it always been a flat white?

James: No, I began with, like, flavored coffees and similar drinks.

Kelly: Let's start by talking football. What significance does soccer hold to you?

The defender: I mean, from childhood, it's kind of my entire focus in education. I wasn't the most academic student, and I just loved the sport.

Kelly: What's your earliest memory of participating? Is this difficult to answer because it was such a big part of your early years and development?

Reece: Not particularly, just because my memory is quite poor. My earliest memory was likely, unsure, attending matches of my sibling compete. He's two years older than me, and he used to play as well.

The host: It was big in your family, wasn't it, because your dad was so heavily involved? He's a soccer trainer too, isn't he? Share with me a little about that.

Reece: So we were three of us during childhood. It was all football mad, and he obviously was a coach as well, and we used to train extensively with him.

The presenter: Can you recall a lot of those sessions? Because I read that as young as the age of four, you were outside and he conducted exercises with you in the back garden.

Reece: Yes, I remember - the drills began early. Fortunately, they proved beneficial for myself and my sister [the club and England forward his sister].

The interviewer: Tell me about your initial club that you represented as a child, what was it called, and your memories?

Reece: I don't remember much, to be honest. That was Kew Park Rangers in Kew. I think I was there for about twelve months. From that point that talent spotters noticed me for the professional club.

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

Reece: I started off as a forward, and then subsequently moved to wide positions, left wing, right side, and eventually to midfield, and then finally at defensive role, and I hated it at the time.

Kelly: What caused your dislike for it?

Reece: Because I consistently desired to occupy central positions. You didn't touch the ball as frequently but eventually it just clicked and I've been a defender since.

The interviewer: You said you began as an attacker - who served as your role model?

James: My idol 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 professional life - a moment that has shaped you and the player you have become?

Reece: I'd likely identify the loan spell. Transitioning between youth and first-team football is most challenging and this represents probably what many athletes transitioning upwards find difficult.

The presenter: You're talking about Wigan, of course. What made did Wigan become the right club for you at the time? The location was miles away from everything you knew in the capital - why did it work so well?

Reece: The first thing is that I featured consistently, which helps. I acquired valuable exposure - I moved away from my friends and relatives and had to grow up fast. Participating on a consistent basis helped a lot.

The interviewer: Who has had the greatest influence on your career?

The athlete: I would say [the experienced Brazilian] Thiago Silva. He's nearly old enough to be my father and has played at elite standard for so long. He always tried to assist me from the minute he arrived and still does, even now he is departed [having left Chelsea in that year].

The host: How specifically would he assist you?

James: It was little messages away from games. On the pitch, he would sometimes see things that I saw alternatively and try and paint a different picture.

The presenter: It was undoubtedly pleasant to meet him this summer [at the Club World Cup]?

The defender: It proved great to see him again. I'm happy that his club performed admirably in the competition [they were defeated in the semi-finals to the champions Chelsea]. It's consistently positive to encounter him.

Kelly: If you could go back and replay one match in your career, which would you pick?

Reece: Assuming the result is remains the same - it would be the European Cup decider.

Kelly: Other than victory, what made it exceptional about that night