Fashion Passion, Idolizing Drogba & Bond with Lewis Hamilton

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This Sports Conversation constitutes a new series in which leading personalities from athletics and show business participate with presenter the interviewer for candid and detailed dialogues about football.

We'll explore mindset and motivation, covering pivotal experiences, professional achievements and personal reflections. This series reveals the person behind the player.

The Chelsea defender started training with the London club at six years old and - after developing through the youth system and into the first team - is now team leader.

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, James' career highlights so far include making his England debut against Wales in 2020, winning the Champions League with Chelsea in 2021, and being appointed team skipper in 2023.

However, things have not always gone smoothly, with multiple fitness issues impacting 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 Lewis Hamilton.

Kelly Somers: First question: name, your origins, and your preferred coffee?

The athlete: The name is Reece James, I was raised in Mortlake, near Richmond - I expect more people will recognize that area. My coffee is a specific coffee type.

Kelly: Has it always been a that particular coffee?

Reece: No, I began with, like, vanilla lattes and similar drinks.

Kelly: Let's start by talking football. What does football mean to you?

Reece: Essentially, from childhood, it's kind of all I knew in school. I wasn't exactly the most academic student, and I simply adored the sport.

Kelly: What's your earliest memory of participating? Is this difficult to respond to because it was such a big part of your childhood and growing up?

James: Not particularly, simply due to my recollection is quite poor. My earliest memory was likely, I don't know, going to watch my sibling play. He is my senior by two years than me, and he also participated as well.

The host: It was big in your family, wasn't it, because your dad was deeply engaged? He is a soccer trainer too, right? Share with me a little about that.

The athlete: So we were 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: Can you recall a lot of those training periods? Because I learned that as young as the four years old, you practiced outdoors and he conducted drills with you in the yard.

Reece: Yes, I remember - the drills started young. Fortunately, they proved beneficial for myself and my sibling [Chelsea and England attacker Lauren James].

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

The defender: I don't remember much, to be honest. That was the local team in Kew. I believe I was there for about a year. From that point that talent spotters noticed me for Chelsea.

Kelly: You didn't start as a defender at first, correct? Explain about your positional journey and how that changed...

Reece: I began as a striker, and then eventually transitioned to wide positions, left wing, right wing, and later to central positions, and then eventually at defensive role, and I hated it at the time.

Kelly: What caused your dislike for it?

The athlete: Because I always wanted to play midfield. You didn't touch the football as frequently but one day everything fell into place and I've been a right-back since.

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

James: My idol was [Didier] Drogba. I grew up as a Chelsea fan growing up and he was the athlete I looked up to.

The host: Identify a pivotal moment in your career - a moment that has influenced your development and the player you have evolved into?

The defender: I would probably say going on loan. Transitioning between youth and senior level is most challenging and that is probably what most players transitioning upwards find challenging.

The presenter: You're referring to the club, naturally. Why was Wigan the ideal team for you at that period? The location was miles away from everything you knew in London - why did it work so effectively?

James: The first thing is that I featured week in week out, which helps. I acquired valuable exposure - I relocated from my friends and family and was forced to grow up quickly. Playing on a consistent basis helped a lot.

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

The athlete: I would say [Brazil defender] Thiago Silva. He is nearly sufficiently experienced to be my dad and has competed at elite standard for so long. He consistently attempted to help me from the moment he arrived and continues to, even now he is not here [having left Chelsea in that year].

Kelly: In what way would he help you?

Reece: It was small pieces of advice away from games. During matches, he would sometimes see things that I saw alternatively and attempt and offer alternative perspectives.

The presenter: It must have been pleasant to see him recently [during the tournament]?

The defender: It proved wonderful to reconnect with him. I'm happy that his club did well in the tournament [they were defeated in the penultimate round to the champions his team]. It's always good to see him.

The interviewer: Were you able to go back and replay one match in your professional history, which would you pick?

Reece: If the outcome is going to be the identical - it would be the European Cup decider.

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