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The Football Interview constitutes an innovative program in which prominent figures from athletics and show business join host the interviewer for frank and comprehensive dialogues about the beautiful game.

We'll explore mindset and motivation, covering defining moments, professional achievements and individual insights. The Football Interview reveals the individual behind the player.

Reece James started practicing with Chelsea at six years old and - after developing through the academy and into the first team - is now team leader.

James announced himself to Chelsea supporters in style, netting on his first appearance in a 7-1 victory over Grimsby Town in September 2019.

Now 25, his professional achievements so far include earning his international bow against the Welsh team in 2020, claiming the Champions League with his club in 2021, and being appointed club captain in 2023.

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

James sat down with Kelly Somers to talk about his professional peaks, the Brazilian's impact, and his relationship with multiple Formula One title winner the racing driver.

The interviewer: Initial inquiry: name, your origins, and what's your coffee order?

The athlete: The name is Reece James, I grew up in Mortlake, near Richmond - I expect more people will know that location. My beverage is a specific coffee type.

Kelly: Was it consistently a flat white?

James: No, it started with, such as, vanilla lattes and stuff.

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

Reece: I mean, from a little kid, it's kind of my entire focus in school. I wasn't exactly the brightest kid, and I just loved playing football.

Kelly: What's your earliest memory of playing? Is this tough to answer because it was such a significant aspect of your early years and growing up?

Reece: Not particularly, just because my memory is so bad. My first remembrance was likely, I don't know, attending matches of my sibling compete. He's my senior by two years than me, and he also participated as well.

Kelly: It was significant in your household, correct, because your dad was so heavily involved? He's a soccer trainer too, isn't he? Tell me a little about that.

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

The presenter: Can you recall a lot of those sessions? Since I read that as young as the four years old, you were outside and he conducted drills with you in the back garden.

James: Yeah, I remember - the drills started young. Fortunately, they paid off for myself and my sister [the club and national team attacker his sister].

The interviewer: Tell me about your first ever team that you represented as a youngster, what was it called, and what can you remember?

The defender: My recollection is limited, frankly. It was the local team in Kew. I believe I played for about a year. It was from there that I was scouted for the professional club.

Kelly: And you weren't a backline player at first, were you? Talk to me about your role evolution and how that changed...

Reece: I started off as a forward, and then eventually transitioned to the wing, left side, right wing, and eventually to midfield, and then finally at right-back, and I hated it at that period.

The presenter: What caused your dislike for it?

Reece: Because I always wanted to play midfield. There was less involvement with the football as frequently but one day it just clicked and I became a defender since.

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

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

The host: Identify a pivotal moment in your professional life - an experience that has influenced your development and the professional you have evolved into?

Reece: I'd likely identify the loan spell. Transitioning between youth and senior level is the hardest and that is probably what most players transitioning upwards find challenging.

The presenter: You're talking about the club, of course. What made did Wigan become the ideal team for you at the time? The location was distant from everything you were familiar with in London - what made it successful so well?

James: The first thing is that I played consistently, which helps. I gained a lot of experiences - I relocated from my companions and relatives and was forced to mature quickly. Participating on a regular schedule assisted significantly.

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

Reece: I would say [the experienced Brazilian] the veteran. He is nearly old enough to be my father and has played at the highest level for so long. He consistently attempted to help me from the moment he joined and still does, even now he is departed [after leaving the club in 2024].

The host: In what way would he assist you?

Reece: These were small pieces of advice away from games. During matches, he occasionally observe situations that I perceived alternatively and attempt and paint a different picture.

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

Reece: It proved great to see him again. I'm happy that his club performed admirably in the tournament [they were defeated in the semi-finals to the champions his team]. It's always good to encounter him.

Kelly: Were you able to return and experience again a single game in your career, what would you choose?

James: If the outcome is remains the same - it would be the Champions League [final].

Kelly: Besides victory, what was so special about that night