Style Obsession, Looking Up To Drogba & Bond with Lewis Hamilton
- Released
The Football Interview represents a new series where prominent figures from athletics and show business participate with presenter the interviewer for candid and comprehensive discussions about the beautiful game.
The program examines mindset and drive, covering pivotal experiences, professional achievements and individual insights. This series uncovers the individual behind the player.
The Chelsea defender started training with the London club 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 debut in a comprehensive win over Grimsby Town in September 2019.
Now 25, his professional achievements to date include earning his international bow against Wales in the year 2020, claiming the European Cup with Chelsea in 2021, and being named team skipper in 2023.
However, his journey hasn't been without challenges, with a series of injuries affecting him over the past four seasons.
The athlete spoke with the interviewer to discuss his career highs, the Brazilian's impact, and his relationship with multiple Formula One title winner the racing driver.
The defender discusses the veteran's influence on his career
The interviewer: Initial inquiry: identity, where you're from, and what's your coffee order?
The athlete: The name is Reece James, I was raised in the area, near Richmond - I expect more people will recognize that location. My coffee is a specific coffee type.
Kelly: Was it consistently a flat white?
James: No, it started with, like, flavored coffees and stuff.
Kelly: We'll begin by discussing soccer. What significance does soccer hold to you?
Reece: Essentially, from childhood, it's kind of all I knew in school. I wasn't exactly the brightest kid, and I simply adored the sport.
Kelly: What's your earliest memory of participating? Is this difficult to respond to because it represented a significant aspect of your childhood and growing up?
Reece: Not particularly, just because my recollection is quite poor. My earliest memory was likely, I don't know, attending matches of my sibling compete. He's 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 dad was so heavily involved? He is a soccer trainer too, isn't he? Tell me a bit about that.
Reece: Well there was three of us growing up. We were all football mad, and he obviously was a trainer as well, and we used to train a lot with him.
The presenter: Do you remember a lot of those sessions? Because I learned that as young as the four years old, you were outside and he conducted exercises with you in the back garden.
James: Yeah, I remember - the drills started young. Fortunately, they paid off for me and my sibling [the club and England attacker his sister].
Kelly: Tell me about your first ever team that you represented as a child, what was it called, and your memories?
The defender: My recollection is limited, to be honest. It was Kew Park Rangers in the area. I believe I played for about twelve months. From that point that talent spotters noticed me for the professional club.
Kelly: You didn't start as a defender at first, correct? Talk to me about your role evolution and its development...
James: I began as a forward, and then subsequently moved to wide positions, left wing, right side, and later to midfield, and then finally at defensive role, and I hated it at the time.
Kelly: Why did you hate it?
The athlete: Because I consistently desired to play midfield. You didn't touch the football as frequently but one day everything fell into place and I've been a defender since.
Reece James won the prestigious trophy in that year when his team defeated Manchester City by one goal in the final in Porto
The interviewer: You said you began as an attacker - who was your role model?
James: The player I admired was [the legendary] Drogba. I was a supporter during youth and he was the athlete I looked up to.
Kelly: Identify a turning point in your professional life - an experience that has influenced your development and the professional you have become?
Reece: I would probably say the loan spell. Transitioning between academy and senior level is the hardest and that is likely what many athletes transitioning upwards find difficult.
Kelly: You're talking about the club, of course. What made did Wigan become the right club for you at that period? It was miles away from all you were familiar with in London - why did it work so well?
James: The first thing is that I featured week in week out, which proves beneficial. I acquired valuable exposure - I moved away from my friends and relatives and was forced to mature fast. Participating on a consistent basis helped significantly.
Kelly: Which individual exerted the greatest influence on your career?
The athlete: I'd identify [Brazil defender] Thiago Silva. He is nearly sufficiently experienced to be my father and has played at elite standard for many years. He always tried to help me from the moment he arrived and still does, presently he is departed [after leaving the club in 2024].
The host: How specifically would he help you?
James: It was little messages off the pitch. During matches, he would sometimes observe situations that I saw differently and attempt and paint a different picture.
The presenter: It was undoubtedly pleasant to see 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 his team]. It's consistently positive to encounter him.
The interviewer: Were you able to return and replay a single game in your career, which would you pick?
James: If the outcome is going to be the identical - I'd select the Champions League [final].
Kelly: Besides victory, what was so special about that night
