Fashion Passion, Idolizing Didier Drogba & Bond with Hamilton

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This Sports Conversation represents an innovative program where leading personalities from sports and entertainment participate with host Kelly Somers for candid and detailed discussions about the beautiful game.

The program examines mental approach and drive, covering defining moments, career highlights and individual insights. This series reveals the person beyond the athlete.

Reece James began practicing with the London club at the age of six and - having progressed through the youth system and into the senior squad - is now team leader.

James announced himself to Chelsea supporters in style, scoring on his first appearance in a comprehensive win over Grimsby Town in 2019.

Currently twenty-five, his professional achievements to date include making his international bow against the Welsh team in 2020, claiming the European Cup with Chelsea in 2021, and being appointed team skipper in 2023.

However, things have not always gone smoothly, with a series of injuries affecting him over recent years.

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

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

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

Kelly: Was it consistently a flat white?

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

The presenter: We'll begin by talking football. What does football mean to you?

Reece: I mean, from childhood, it's kind of my entire focus in education. I wasn't the most academic student, and I just loved the sport.

The interviewer: Your first recollection of participating? Is this difficult to answer because it represented a significant aspect of your childhood and growing up?

Reece: Not particularly, simply due to my recollection is so bad. My earliest memory was likely, I don't know, going to watch my brother play. He is my senior by two years than me, and he used to play as well.

Kelly: It was big in your family, wasn't it, because your dad was so heavily involved? He is a soccer trainer too, right? Tell me a little about that.

The athlete: So there was three of us growing up. It was all football mad, and he naturally was a coach as well, and we used to train extensively with him.

Kelly: Do you remember many of those sessions? Because I learned that starting from the four years old, you were outside and he conducted drills with you in the back garden.

Reece: Yes, I recall - the drills started young. Thankfully, they proved beneficial for myself and my sister [Chelsea and national team forward Lauren James].

Kelly: Talk to me about your initial club that you represented as a child, its name, and your memories?

Reece: I don't remember much, frankly. That was Kew Park Rangers in the area. I believe I was there for about a year. It was from there that talent spotters noticed me for Chelsea.

The host: And you weren't a backline player at initially, correct? Talk to me 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 central positions, and then eventually at defensive role, and I hated it at the time.

The presenter: Why did you hate it?

Reece: Because I consistently desired to occupy central positions. You didn't touch the football as much but eventually everything fell into place and I became a right-back since.

The interviewer: You said you began as a forward - who served as your role model?

Reece: My idol was [the legendary] Drogba. I grew up as a Chelsea fan during youth and he was the athlete I admired.

Kelly: Can you think of a turning point in your professional life - an experience that has influenced your development and the player you have become?

The defender: I'd likely identify the loan spell. Transitioning between academy and first-team football is most challenging and this represents probably what many athletes making the jump find difficult.

Kelly: You're talking about the club, naturally. What made did Wigan become the ideal team for you at that period? It was distant from all you were familiar with in London - why did it work so effectively?

Reece: The primary factor is that I played consistently, which helps. I acquired a lot of experiences - I moved away from my friends and relatives and was forced to mature fast. Playing on a consistent basis helped a lot.

The interviewer: Who has had the greatest influence on your career?

Reece: I would say [Brazil defender] the veteran. He's almost sufficiently experienced to be my father and has competed at elite standard for so long. He consistently attempted to help me from the minute he arrived and continues to, presently he is departed [after leaving the club in 2024].

The host: In what way would he assist you?

James: These were small pieces of advice off the pitch. On the pitch, he occasionally see things that I perceived alternatively and try and paint a different picture.

The presenter: It must have been pleasant to meet him recently [at the Club World Cup]?

Reece: It was great to reconnect with him. I'm pleased that his club did well in the tournament [they were defeated in the semi-finals to the champions Chelsea]. It is always good to see him.

The interviewer: If you could go back and experience again one match in your professional history, which would you pick?

Reece: If the outcome is remains the identical - I'd select the Champions League [final].

Kelly: Besides winning, what was so special about the occasion