Fashion Passion, Looking Up To Didier Drogba & Friendship with Lewis Hamilton
- Published
The Football Interview constitutes an innovative program in which leading personalities from athletics and show business join host the interviewer for candid and comprehensive dialogues about the beautiful game.
The program examines mental approach and motivation, discussing pivotal experiences, career highlights and individual insights. This series uncovers the person beyond the athlete.
The Chelsea defender started training with the London club at six years old and - after developing through the academy and into the first team - is now team leader.
The defender introduced himself to Chelsea supporters in impressive fashion, scoring on his debut in a comprehensive win over the opposition in 2019.
Now 25, his professional achievements to date include earning his international bow against Wales in the year 2020, winning the European Cup with his club in 2021, and being appointed club captain in 2023.
Nevertheless, his journey hasn't been without challenges, with a series of injuries impacting him over the past four seasons.
James sat down with the interviewer to talk about his professional peaks, the Brazilian's impact, and his friendship with seven-time F1 world champion Lewis Hamilton.
The defender discusses the veteran's influence on his career
The interviewer: Initial inquiry: identity, where you're from, and your preferred coffee?
The athlete: I am Reece James, I grew up 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 flat white?
Reece: No, I began with, such as, flavored coffees and similar drinks.
The presenter: We'll begin by talking football. What does football mean to you?
Reece: I mean, from a little kid, it's kind of my entire focus in education. I wasn't the brightest kid, and I simply adored the sport.
The interviewer: What's your earliest memory of playing? Is this tough to respond to because it represented a significant aspect of your childhood and development?
James: No, simply due to my memory is so bad. My first remembrance was probably, I don't know, attending matches of my brother compete. He's two years older than me, and he used to play as well.
The host: It was significant in your family, wasn't it, because your dad was deeply engaged? He's a soccer trainer too, right? Share with me a little about that.
Reece: So there was three of us during childhood. We were completely soccer-obsessed, and he obviously was a trainer as well, and we frequently practiced extensively with him.
The presenter: Do you remember a lot of those sessions? Since I learned that as young as the four years old, you practiced outdoors and he conducted exercises with you in the back garden.
Reece: Yes, I remember - the drills started young. Thankfully, they paid off for me and my sister [Chelsea and England attacker Lauren James].
The interviewer: Tell me about your initial club that you played for as a youngster, what was it called, and what can you remember?
Reece: I don't remember much, to be honest. That was the local team in Kew. I believe I played for about twelve months. It was from there that talent spotters noticed me for Chelsea.
The host: You didn't start as a defender at initially, were you? Explain about your positional journey and its development...
James: I began as a striker, and then subsequently transitioned to wide positions, left side, right wing, and eventually to central positions, and then finally at right-back, and I hated it at that period.
Kelly: Why did you hate it?
Reece: Because I always wanted to play midfield. There was less involvement with the football as much but eventually it just clicked and I became a right-back since.
Reece James won the Champions League in that year when his team defeated Manchester City 1-0 in the championship match in Porto
The interviewer: You mentioned you began as an attacker - who was your idol?
James: My idol was [Didier] Drogba. I was a Chelsea fan during youth and he was the player I looked up to.
Kelly: Can you think of a turning point in your professional life - an experience that has influenced your development and the player you have evolved into?
The defender: I'd likely identify the loan spell. Bridging the gap between academy and first-team football is most challenging and this represents likely what most players making the jump find difficult.
The presenter: You're talking about Wigan, of course. Why did Wigan become the right club for you at that period? It was miles away from all you knew in London - why did it work so well?
James: The first thing is that I played week in week out, which helps. I acquired valuable exposure - I relocated from my companions and relatives and had to mature quickly. Playing on a regular schedule helped a lot.
Kelly: Who has had the biggest impact on your professional journey?
The athlete: I would say [Brazil defender] the veteran. He's nearly old enough to be my father and has competed at the highest level for many years. He always tried to help me from the minute he joined and still does, even now he is departed [having left Chelsea in that year].
The host: How specifically would he help you?
Reece: These were little messages away from games. On the pitch, he occasionally observe situations that I perceived differently and try and offer alternative perspectives.
Kelly: It must have been pleasant to see him this summer [at the Club World Cup]?
Reece: It proved wonderful to see him again. I'm happy that his team did well in the tournament [they lost in the penultimate round to the champions his team]. It's always good to encounter him.
The interviewer: If you could return and replay a single game in your professional history, which would you pick?
James: Assuming the result is remains the identical - it would be the Champions League [final].
Kelly: Besides winning, what was so special about the occasion
