Fashion Passion, Idolizing Drogba & Friendship with Lewis Hamilton

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This Sports Conversation constitutes an innovative program in which leading personalities from athletics and show business join presenter the interviewer for candid and detailed dialogues about the beautiful game.

We'll explore mental approach and drive, covering defining moments, career highlights and individual insights. This series uncovers the person beyond the athlete.

Reece James began practicing with Chelsea at the age of six and - having progressed through the academy and into the senior squad - is now team leader.

James announced himself to Chelsea supporters in style, scoring on his first appearance in a 7-1 victory over the opposition in 2019.

Now 25, his professional achievements to date include earning his international bow against the Welsh team in the year 2020, claiming the Champions League with Chelsea in 2021, and being named club captain 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, Thiago Silva's influence, and his relationship with seven-time F1 world champion the racing driver.

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

Reece James: The name is Reece James, I grew up in Mortlake, near Richmond - I expect many will recognize that area. My coffee is a specific coffee type.

Kelly: Was it consistently a flat white?

Reece: Not exactly, it started with, such as, vanilla lattes and stuff.

The presenter: We'll begin by discussing soccer. What significance does soccer hold to you?

Reece: Essentially, from childhood, it was practically all I knew in school. I wasn't exactly the most academic student, and I just loved the sport.

Kelly: Your first recollection of playing? Is this difficult to respond to because it represented a big part of your childhood and growing up?

Reece: No, just because my memory is quite poor. My earliest memory was probably, 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.

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

Reece: Well we were three of us during childhood. It was completely soccer-obsessed, and he obviously was a coach 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 starting from the age of four, you practiced outdoors and he was doing exercises with you in the yard.

Reece: Yes, I remember - the training started young. Fortunately, they proved beneficial for myself and my sister [the club and England forward his sister].

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

Reece: My recollection is limited, frankly. That was the local team in Kew. I think I played for about a year. It was from there that I was scouted for Chelsea.

Kelly: And you weren't a defender at first, correct? Talk to me about your positional journey and how that changed...

James: I began as a striker, and then eventually moved to the wing, left wing, right wing, and later to central positions, and then eventually at defensive role, and I disliked it at that period.

The presenter: Why did you hate it?

Reece: Since I consistently desired to occupy central positions. You didn't touch the ball as much but eventually it just clicked and I've been a right-back since.

Kelly: You mentioned you began as a forward - who was your idol?

James: The player I admired was [Didier] Drogba. I grew up as a Chelsea fan during youth and he represented the athlete I looked up to.

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

The defender: I'd likely identify going on loan. Bridging the gap between academy and senior level is the hardest and this represents probably what many athletes making the jump find difficult.

The presenter: You're referring to Wigan, of course. Why did Wigan become the right club for you at the time? It was miles away from all you were familiar with in London - what made it successful so effectively?

James: The first thing is that I played week in week out, which helps. I acquired valuable exposure - I moved away from my companions and family and was forced to mature fast. Playing on a regular schedule assisted significantly.

The interviewer: Which individual exerted the biggest impact on your career?

The athlete: I'd identify [the experienced Brazilian] Thiago Silva. He's almost sufficiently experienced to be my dad and has competed at the highest level for so long. He consistently attempted to help me from the moment he arrived and continues to, presently he is not here [having left Chelsea in that year].

Kelly: In what way would he help you?

James: It was small pieces of advice off the pitch. On the pitch, he would sometimes see things that I saw differently and try and paint a different picture.

Kelly: It must have been nice to see him this summer [during the tournament]?

Reece: It proved great to see him again. I'm pleased that his team performed admirably in the competition [they lost in the semi-finals to eventual winners his team]. It is consistently positive to encounter him.

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

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

The host: Besides victory, what made it exceptional about the occasion