Fashion Passion, Looking Up To Didier Drogba & Bond with Lewis Hamilton

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This Sports Conversation represents an innovative program in which leading personalities from sports and show business participate with host the interviewer for candid and comprehensive dialogues about football.

We'll explore mindset and drive, discussing pivotal experiences, professional achievements and personal reflections. The Football Interview reveals the individual beyond the athlete.

Reece James started practicing with the London club at six years old and - after developing through the youth system and into the senior squad - is now club captain.

The defender introduced himself to the Stamford Bridge faithful in style, netting on his debut in a comprehensive win over Grimsby Town in 2019.

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

However, his journey hasn't been without challenges, with a series of injuries impacting him over the past four seasons.

The athlete spoke with Kelly Somers to talk about his professional peaks, the Brazilian's impact, and his relationship with seven-time F1 world champion Lewis Hamilton.

The interviewer: Initial inquiry: identity, where you're from, and your preferred coffee?

Reece James: I am Reece James, I was raised in Mortlake, near Richmond - I'm sure more people will know that area. My coffee is a specific coffee type.

Kelly: Has it always been a that particular coffee?

James: Not exactly, I began with, like, vanilla lattes and similar drinks.

The presenter: Let's start by discussing soccer. What significance does soccer hold to you?

The defender: Essentially, from a little kid, it was practically all I knew in school. I wasn't the most academic student, and I just loved the sport.

The interviewer: What's your earliest memory of participating? Is this tough to answer because it represented a significant aspect of your early years and development?

Reece: No, just because my recollection is quite poor. My earliest memory was probably, I don't know, attending matches of my brother play. He's my senior by two years than me, and he used to play as well.

Kelly: It was significant in your family, wasn't it, because your dad was deeply engaged? He's a football coach too, isn't he? Tell me a little about that.

The athlete: Well there was three of us during childhood. It was completely soccer-obsessed, and he naturally was a trainer as well, and we used to train extensively with him.

The presenter: Do you remember many of those sessions? Since I read that starting from the age of four, you were outside and he conducted drills with you in the yard.

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

Kelly: Talk to me about your initial club that you represented as a child, what was it called, and what can you remember?

Reece: My recollection is limited, to be honest. It was Kew Park Rangers in Kew. I believe I was there for about a year. It was from there that I was scouted for Chelsea.

The host: You didn't start as a backline player at initially, correct? Talk to me about your role evolution and how that changed...

James: I began as a forward, and then subsequently moved to the wing, left wing, right wing, and eventually to central positions, and then finally at defensive role, and I hated 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 football as much but one day it just clicked and I've been a defender since.

Kelly: You said you started as a forward - who was your role model?

Reece: The player I admired was [the legendary] Drogba. I grew up as a supporter growing up and he represented the athlete I looked up to.

Kelly: Can you think of a turning point in your career - a moment that has shaped you and the professional you have become?

Reece: I'd likely identify the loan spell. Bridging the gap between youth and senior level is the hardest and this represents probably what many athletes making the jump find challenging.

The presenter: You're referring to the club, naturally. What made did Wigan become the ideal team for you at the time? It was distant from all you knew in London - what made it successful so effectively?

Reece: The primary factor is that I played week in week out, which helps. I acquired valuable exposure - I relocated from my friends and family and had to mature quickly. Participating on a regular schedule helped significantly.

Kelly: Who has had the biggest impact on your professional journey?

Reece: I would say [the experienced Brazilian] the veteran. He is almost old enough to be my father and has competed at the highest level for so long. He consistently attempted to help me from the minute he joined and continues to, presently he is departed [having left Chelsea in 2024].

Kelly: In what way would he assist you?

James: These were little messages off the pitch. During matches, he occasionally observe situations that I saw alternatively and try and paint a different picture.

Kelly: It must have been pleasant to meet him this summer [at the Club World Cup]?

Reece: It proved wonderful to reconnect with him. I'm happy that his club did well in the tournament [they lost in the semi-finals to the champions his team]. It is always good to see him.

Kelly: If you could return and replay a single game in your professional history, which would you pick?

James: If the outcome is going to be the identical - it would be the Champions League [final].

The host: Besides victory, what was so special about that night