Reece James (footballer, born 1999)

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For the other English footballer, see Reece James (footballer, born 1993).

Reece James
Reece James 2021.jpg
James playing for Chelsea in 2021
Personal information
Full name Reece James[1]
Date of birth (1999-12-08) 8 December 1999 (age 22)[2]
Place of birth Redbridge, England
Height 5 ft 10 in (1.79 m)[3]
Position(s) Right-back[4]
Club information
Current team
 Chelsea
Number 24
Youth career
Chelsea
Fulham
0000–2018 Chelsea
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2018– Chelsea 73 (6)
2018–2019 → Wigan Athletic (loan) 45 (3)
National team‡
2017 England U18 3 (0)
2017–2018 England U19 8 (0)
2017– England U20 12 (0)
2019– England U21 2 (0)
2020– England 10 (0)
Honours
Men's football
Representing  England
UEFA European Under-19 Championship
Winner 2017 U-19 Team
UEFA European Championship
Runner-up 2020
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 17:45, 5 March 2022 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 21:48, 15 November 2021 (UTC)

Reece James (born 8 December 1999) is an English professional footballer who plays as a right-back for Premier League club Chelsea and the England national team.

James joined the Chelsea academy as a youth and turned professional in 2017, a season where he captained the under-18s to victory in the FA Youth Cup and was named Academy Player of the Season. A productive loan spell with Wigan Athletic of the Championship saw him promoted to the Chelsea first team upon his return in 2019, after which he began to establish himself as a regular fixture at right-back and earn a long-term contract extension in January 2020.

After representing England at various youth levels, James was called up to the full international side for the first time in October 2020, earning his first cap against Wales.

Early life[]

James was born in Redbridge, Greater London,[5] and attended Isleworth and Syon School.[6] He belongs to a footballing family, where his sister, Lauren is also a professional footballer.[7][8] Lauren signed for Chelsea Women in July 2021.[9] Their father Nigel is a football coach.[10]

Club career[]

James (left) playing for Chelsea in 2017

James began training with Chelsea at the age of six, but had a short spell at West London rivals Fulham when he was seven.[11] He turned professional with Chelsea in March 2017.[12] During the 2017–18 season he captained the under-18s to win the FA Youth Cup and was named Academy Player of the Season.[12] He signed a new four-year contract with the club in June 2018.[12] Later that month he joined Championship club Wigan Athletic on loan for the 2018–19 season.[13] In March 2019, he was selected to the 2018–19 Championship Team of the Season.[14] He won three awards at Wigan Athletic's end of season awards, including Player of the Year.[15]

James playing for Chelsea in 2017.

On 25 September 2019, James made his debut for Chelsea after returning from injury. He scored one goal and assisted two in a 7–1 win over Grimsby Town in the third round of the 2019–20 EFL Cup.[16] James became Chelsea's youngest ever goalscorer in the UEFA Champions League when he scored the fourth goal of their 4–4 comeback draw with Ajax on 5 November 2019.[17] He signed a long-term contract extension with Chelsea on 16 January 2020.[18]

On 14 September 2020, James scored his first Premier League goal, in a 3–1 win for Chelsea against Brighton & Hove Albion.[19] On 5 December, James made his 50th appearance for Chelsea in all competitions in the club's 3–1 league win over Leeds United.[20]

In January 2021, James was subject to racist abuse online.[21][22] In March 2021, he deleted his Instagram account in response to the abuse he received.[23] On 29 May, James won his first-ever Champions League as Chelsea won 1–0 against Manchester City in the 2021 UEFA Champions League Final in Porto.[24] On 28 August, James was controversially sent off at the end of the first half of a 1–1 draw against Liverpool due to a handball incident.[25]

International career[]

Youth[]

James has represented England at youth level from under-18 up to under-21.[26][27][28] In May 2017, James was included in the under-20 squad for the 2017 Toulon Tournament.[29] He started in the final as England beat the Ivory Coast to retain their title.[30] In July 2017, James was part of the under-19 squad that won the 2017 UEFA European Under-19 Championship.[31] He started in the semi-final against the Czech Republic.[32]

James was a member of the under-20 squad that travelled to the 2019 Toulon Tournament and was carried off on a stretcher with ankle ligament damage during the first half of the final group game defeat to Chile on 7 June 2019.[33] On 4 October 2019, James was included in the under-21 squad for the first time.[34] He made his under-21 debut during the 3–0 2021 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification victory away to Albania on 15 November 2019.[35]

Senior[]

On 5 October 2020, James was called up for the first time to the senior team by manager Gareth Southgate following an injury to Raheem Sterling.[36] He made his debut on 8 October at Wembley Stadium, coming on as a 58th-minute substitute for Kieran Trippier in a 3–0 win over Wales.[37][38] He was sent off for dissent after the final whistle in his second start, against Denmark.[39] James was named in the 26-man England squad for Euro 2020.[40]

In November 2021, he said that he was in the best form of his career, and that he hoped to become England's first-choice right-back.[41]

Style of play[]

His manager Thomas Tuchel described him as "strong and influential" during an interview with Chelsea TV.[42] He had a wing-back partnership with Ben Chilwell at both club and international level.[43]

Career statistics[]

Club[]

As of match played 5 March 2022
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League FA Cup EFL Cup Europe Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Chelsea U23/U21 2016–17[44] — — — — — 1[a] 0 1 0
2017–18[45] — — — — — 6[a] 1 6 1
Total — — — — 7 1 7 1
Chelsea 2018–19[46] Premier League 0 0 — — 0 0 — 0 0
2019–20[47] Premier League 24 0 5 0 2 1 6[b] 1 0 0 37 2
2020–21[48] Premier League 32 1 5 0 0 0 10[b] 0 — 47 1
2021–22[49] Premier League 17 5 1 0 4 0 4[b] 1 0 0 26 6
Total 73 6 11 0 6 1 20 2 0 0 110 9
Wigan Athletic (loan) 2018–19[46] Championship 45 3 1 0 0 0 — — 46 3
Career total 118 9 112 0 6 1 20 2 7 1 163 13
  1. ^ a b Appearance(s) in EFL Trophy
  2. ^ a b c Appearances in UEFA Champions League

International[]

As of match played 15 November 2021[50]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
England 2020 4 0
2021 6 0
Total 10 0

Honours[]

Chelsea U18

Chelsea

England U19

England U20

England

Individual

  • Chelsea Academy Player of the Year: 2017–18[12]
  • Wigan Athletic Player of the Year: 2018–19[15]
  • Wigan Athletic Player's Player of the Year: 2018–19[15]
  • Wigan Athletic Goal of the Season: 2018–19[15]
  • FA Cup Team of the Year: 2020–21[58]
  • PFA Community Champion Award: 2020–21[59][60]

References[]

  1. ^ "Premier League clubs publish 2019/20 retained lists". Premier League. 26 June 2020. Retrieved 10 October 2020.
  2. ^ "Reece James: Overview". ESPN. Retrieved 10 October 2020.
  3. ^ "Reece James". Chelsea F.C. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
  4. ^ "FPL breakout stars: Reece James". Premier League. 3 September 2020. Retrieved 10 October 2020.
  5. ^ "Reece James". 11v11.com. AFS Enterprises. Retrieved 10 October 2020.
  6. ^ "Alumni: Reece James Makes Chelsea Debut". Isleworth & Syon School. Retrieved 28 February 2020.
  7. ^ Rudd, Alyson (3 November 2018). "Brother and sister who are giving dad a very difficult decision to make". The Times.
  8. ^ "Lauren and Reece James score goals in same week". BBC Sport. 28 September 2019.
  9. ^ "Lauren James joins Chelsea Women". Chelsea FC.
  10. ^ Association, The Football. "Nigel James hoping for a restful Father's Day watching son Reece with daughter Lauren". www.thefa.com.
  11. ^ De Cosemo, Harry (27 November 2021). "Chelsea: Father of Reece and Lauren James on his children's rise to football stardom". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 27 November 2021.
  12. ^ a b c d e f "Profile". Chelsea F.C. Archived from the original on 27 March 2019. Retrieved 7 November 2018.
  13. ^ "Reece James: Wigan Athletic sign Chelsea full-back on season-long loan". BBC Sport. 27 June 2018. Retrieved 27 June 2018.
  14. ^ "EFL awards: Che Adams, Teemu Pukki & Billy Sharp on Championship shortlist". BBC Sport. 26 March 2019. Retrieved 28 March 2019.
  15. ^ a b c d "Reece James scoops trio of awards at Wigan Athletic end of season party in the park". Wigan Athletic F.C. 6 May 2019. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
  16. ^ "Chelsea 7–1 Grimsby Town: Reece James impresses on debut". BBC Sport. 25 September 2019. Retrieved 26 September 2019.
  17. ^ "Chelsea 4–4 Ajax: Champions League thriller ends in stunning draw". BBC Sport. 5 November 2019. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
  18. ^ "Reece James agrees new long-term Chelsea deal". Chelsea F.C. 16 January 2020. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
  19. ^ "Brighton 1–3 Chelsea: Frank Lampard impressed with Chelsea debutants". BBC Sport. 14 September 2020. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
  20. ^ "Chelsea vs Leeds - The Stats". Chelsea F.C. 5 December 2020. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
  21. ^ "Chelsea 'disgusted' by James abuse". BBC Sport. 30 January 2021.
  22. ^ "Statement on racist abuse". Chelsea F.C. 29 January 2021. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
  23. ^ "Reece James Deletes His Instagram Account Due To Stream Of Hateful Abuse". www.sportbible.com. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
  24. ^ "Man. City 0-1 Chelsea: Havertz gives Blues second Champions League triumph". UEFA. 29 May 2021. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  25. ^ "Reece James red card: Chelsea FC defender sent off vs Liverpool for handball". standard.co.uk. 28 August 2021. Retrieved 28 August 2021.
  26. ^ "England Football Online – under-19". England Football Online. Retrieved 17 January 2019.
  27. ^ "England Football Online – under-20". England Football Online. Retrieved 17 January 2019.
  28. ^ "England Football Online – under-21". England Football Online. Retrieved 17 January 2019.
  29. ^ "Toulon squad selected". The Football Association. 16 May 2017. Retrieved 5 August 2018.
  30. ^ "Spot on Young Lions hold their nerve to retain Toulon Tournament title". The Football Association. 10 June 2017. Retrieved 5 August 2018.
  31. ^ a b "European Under-19 Championship: England beat Portugal in final". BBC Sport. 15 July 2017. Retrieved 5 August 2018.
  32. ^ "England U19s 1–0 Czech Republic". The Football Association. 12 July 2017. Retrieved 5 August 2018.
  33. ^ "Young Lions suffer a third defeat in Toulon after two late goals turn game around". The Football Association. 7 June 2019. Retrieved 11 June 2019.
  34. ^ "Aidy Boothroyd picks HIS MU21S squad to play Slovenia and Austria this month". The Football Association. 4 October 2019. Retrieved 6 October 2019.
  35. ^ "Goals from Phil Foden, Conor Gallagher and Reiss Nelson see MU21S to win in Albania". The Football Association. 15 November 2019. Retrieved 17 November 2019.
  36. ^ "Reece James earns maiden senior England call-up". Chelsea F.C. 5 October 2020. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
  37. ^ "England 3–0 Wales". BBC Sport. 9 October 2020. Retrieved 9 October 2020.
  38. ^ "James makes England debut". Chelsea F.C. 9 October 2020. Retrieved 9 October 2020.
  39. ^ "Why James received a red card after England's defeat by Denmark". The Independent. 15 October 2020. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
  40. ^ "Euro 2020: Trent Alexander-Arnold named in England's 26-man squad". BBC Sport. 1 June 2021. Archived from the original on 1 June 2021. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
  41. ^ "I'm performing at my best - James" – via www.bbc.co.uk.
  42. ^ "Exclusive: Thomas Tuchel on Reece James' form and the end of a big week at Stamford Bridge | Official Site | Chelsea Football Club". ChelseaFC. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
  43. ^ "Reece James and Ben Chilwell starring as Thomas Tuchel's wing-back system helps Chelsea shine at both ends". Sky Sports. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
  44. ^ "Games played by Reece James in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 10 October 2020.
  45. ^ "Games played by Reece James in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 10 October 2020.
  46. ^ a b "Games played by Reece James in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 10 October 2020.
  47. ^ "Games played by Reece James in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 10 October 2020.
  48. ^ "Games played by Reece James in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  49. ^ "Games played by Reece James in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
  50. ^ "James, Reece". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
    "England vs. Albania 5–0: Summary". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  51. ^ McNulty, Phil (29 May 2021). "Man. City 0–1 Chelsea". BBC Sport. Retrieved 31 May 2021.
  52. ^ Sterling, Mark (11 August 2021). "Chelsea 1–1 Villarreal (Chelsea win 6-5 on penalties)". BBC Sport. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
  53. ^ McNulty, Phil (1 August 2020). "Arsenal 2–1 Chelsea". BBC Sport. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
  54. ^ McNulty, Phil (15 May 2021). "Chelsea 0–1 Leicester City". BBC Sport. Retrieved 16 May 2021.
  55. ^ McNulty, Phil (27 February 2022). "Chelsea 0–0 Liverpool: Reds win Carabao Cup final on penalties". BBC Sport. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
  56. ^ "Chelsea defender Reece James named in Toulon best XI after England victory". London Evening Standard. 12 June 2017. Retrieved 23 March 2019.
  57. ^ McNulty, Phil (11 July 2021). "England lose shootout in Euro 2020 final". BBC Sport. Retrieved 11 July 2021.
  58. ^ "Here is the #EmiratesFACup Team of the Competition, as voted by you!