Style Obsession, Looking Up To Didier Drogba & Friendship with Lewis Hamilton

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This Sports Conversation constitutes an innovative program in which prominent figures from sports and entertainment join host the interviewer for frank and comprehensive dialogues about football.

We'll explore mental approach and drive, discussing pivotal experiences, career highlights and personal reflections. This series uncovers the person behind the player.

The Chelsea defender started training with Chelsea at the age of six and - having progressed through the youth system and into the senior squad - is now club captain.

The defender introduced himself to the Stamford Bridge faithful in impressive fashion, scoring on his first appearance in a comprehensive win over Grimsby Town in 2019.

Currently twenty-five, his professional achievements to date include earning his international bow against Wales in 2020, winning the Champions League with Chelsea in 2021, and being named team skipper in 2023.

However, things have not always gone smoothly, with multiple fitness issues affecting him over recent years.

James sat down with Kelly Somers to talk about his career highs, Thiago Silva's influence, and his relationship with seven-time F1 world champion the racing driver.

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

Reece James: The name is Reece James, I was raised in Mortlake, near Richmond - I'm sure many will recognize that area. My coffee is a specific coffee type.

Kelly: Has it always been a flat white?

Reece: No, it started with, such as, vanilla lattes and similar drinks.

Kelly: We'll begin by talking football. What significance does soccer hold to you?

The defender: I mean, from a little kid, it's kind of my entire focus in school. I wasn't exactly the brightest kid, and I just loved the sport.

Kelly: What's your earliest memory of playing? Is this tough to respond to because it was such a significant aspect of your childhood and growing up?

James: No, just because my recollection is so bad. My earliest memory was likely, I don't know, going to watch my brother compete. He is two years older than me, and he used to play as well.

Kelly: It was big in your household, wasn't it, because your dad was deeply engaged? He is a soccer trainer too, isn't he? Tell me a bit about that.

The athlete: Well there was three children during childhood. It was all football mad, and he naturally was a trainer as well, and we frequently practiced a lot with him.

Kelly: Can you recall a lot of those sessions? Because I read that as young as the age of four, you practiced outdoors and he conducted drills with you in the back garden.

James: Yeah, I recall - the drills started young. Fortunately, they paid off for me and my sister [the club and national team attacker Lauren James].

The interviewer: Tell me about your initial club that you played for as a youngster, its name, and your memories?

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

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

James: I began as a forward, and then subsequently moved to the wing, left side, right side, and eventually to midfield, and then eventually at right-back, and I hated it at that period.

Kelly: Why did you hate it?

Reece: Because I always wanted to occupy central positions. There was less involvement with the football as much but one day it just clicked and I became a defender since.

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 Chelsea fan growing up and he was the athlete I looked up to.

The host: Identify a turning point in your career - a moment that has influenced your development and the professional you have become?

Reece: I'd likely identify the loan spell. Transitioning between youth and first-team football is most challenging and that is likely what most players transitioning upwards find challenging.

Kelly: You're referring to the club, naturally. Why was Wigan the ideal team for you at the time? It was distant from all you knew in the capital - why did it work so well?

Reece: The primary factor is that I featured consistently, which helps. I gained a lot of experiences - I relocated from my friends and relatives and had to grow up fast. Participating on a regular schedule helped significantly.

The interviewer: Which individual exerted the greatest influence on your professional journey?

The athlete: I would say [the experienced Brazilian] Thiago Silva. He is nearly old enough to be my father and has played at the highest level for so long. He consistently attempted to help me from the minute he joined and still does, presently he is not here [after leaving the club in that year].

Kelly: How specifically would he assist you?

James: These were little messages away from games. During matches, he occasionally observe situations that I saw alternatively and attempt and offer alternative perspectives.

Kelly: It was undoubtedly nice to see him recently [during the tournament]?

The defender: It proved wonderful 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's always good to encounter him.

The interviewer: If you could return and replay one match in your professional history, what would you choose?

Reece: If the outcome is going to be the same - I'd select the Champions League [final].

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