Background Information
Born on December 8, 1999, Reece James is a professional football player from England who plays right back for Chelsea, a Premier League team he captains, and the England national team.
Reece James became a professional in 2017 after joining the Chelsea academy as a young player. During that season, he won Academy Player of the Season and led the under-18 team to an FA Youth Cup success. A solid loan spell with Wigan Athletic of the Championship saw him promoted to the Chelsea first team upon his return in 2019. He was named captain in 2023 after leading the team to victories in the 2021 FIFA Club World Cup, UEFA Champions League, and UEFA Super Cup. He guided Chelsea to victory in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup and UEFA Europa Conference League.
James earned his senior debut in 2020 after playing for England at several young levels. He later participated in UEFA Euro 2020.
Reece James’s Early Life
Reece James went to Isleworth and Syon School after being born in Redbridge, Greater London. He comes from a football-loving family. Lauren, his sister, joined Chelsea Women in July 2021 and is also a professional football player. Nigel, their father, coaches football. His mother is of English ancestry, while his father is of Grenadian and Dominican ancestry.
Club Career
At the age of six, James signed with Chelsea after beginning his playing career at the grassroots level with Kew Park Rangers and Epsom Eagles. At the age of seven, he briefly played for Fulham, a rival team in West London. In his early teens, he was a striker who looked up to Didier Drogba. However, he was shifted to the midfield and then, where he first struggled, to a right-back position. In March 2017, he joined Chelsea as a professional. He was named Academy Player of the Season and led the under-18 team to victory in the FA Youth Cup during the 2017–18 campaign. In June 2018, he agreed to a new four-year deal with the team.
Reece James signed a loan deal with Championship team Wigan Athletic for the 2018–19 campaign in June 2018. On August 4, he made his first-team debut, starting Wigan’s season-opening match and leading his club to a 3–2 victory over Sheffield Wednesday at home. On November 4, in the sixth minute of Wigan’s 2-1 home loss to Leeds United, he scored his first goal with a free kick. He was chosen for the 2018–19 Championship Team of the Season in March 2019. At Wigan Athletic’s end-of-season awards, he took home three honors, including Player of the Year.
He returned from injury to make his Chelsea debut on September 25, 2019. In a 7-1 victory over Grimsby Town in the third round of the 2019–20 EFL Cup, he scored his first goal and provided two assists. James scored the fourth goal in Chelsea’s 4–4 comeback draw with Ajax on November 5, making him the team’s youngest-ever UEFA Champions League goal scorer. On January 16, 2020, James agreed to a long-term contract agreement with Chelsea.
Reece James scored his first Premier League goal on September 14, 2020, as Chelsea defeated Brighton & Hove Albion 3-1. James earned his 50th Chelsea appearance across all competitions on December 5th, as the team defeated Leeds United 3-1 in the league.
Online racist taunts were directed at James in January 2021. He responded to the abuse by deleting his Instagram account in March. James won his first Champions League title on May 29 when Chelsea defeated Manchester City 1-0 in the Porto final.
Captaincy
On August 9, 2023, Reece James was named Chelsea’s club captain after César Azpilicueta left. Early in the season, he sustained a hamstring injury, which reappeared in November 2023 after he resumed playing. He underwent surgery to address the recurrent hamstring problem in late December 2023. On May 11, 2024, James made a comeback as a substitute against Nottingham Forest, helping Nicolas Jackson score the game-winning assist in the 3–2 triumph at City Ground.
Reece James suffered several injuries at the start of the 2024–25 campaign. Enzo Maresca, the manager of Chelsea, criticized James for his lack of effort once he returned to play in October 2024. In November 2024, James sustained another hamstring injury. In January 2025, he made his comeback to the Premier League and scored a goal in his first match. “Lonely and frustrating” was how James described his injury experience.
International Career
Youth
From under-18 to under-21, Reece James has played youth international football for England. James was added to the under-20 team for the 2017 Toulon Tournament in May. In the final, he started as England defeated Ivory Coast to win the title again. The under-19 team that won the 2017 UEFA European Under-19 Championship included James in July. In the semi-final matchup with the Czech Republic, he started.
During the first half of the final group game loss to Chile on June 7, 2019, James, who was a member of the under-20 team that traveled to the 2019 Toulon Tournament, was taken out on a stretcher due to damage to his ankle ligament.
Reece James was added to the under-21 team for the first time on October 4. He made his debut as an under-21 player on November 15, when they defeated Albania 3–0 on the road to qualify for the 2021 UEFA European Under-21 Championship.
Senior
Following Raheem Sterling’s injury, manager Gareth Southgate called up James to the senior squad for the first time on October 5, 2020. He made his debut on October 8 at Wembley Stadium, replacing Kieran Trippier in the 58th minute of a 3-0 victory over Wales. In his second start, against Denmark, he was dismissed for dissent after the final whistle. James was included in England’s 26-man Euro 2020 squad. James started in the 0-0 draw with Scotland at Euro 2020.
He stated in November 2021 that he was playing at his peak and that he aspired to be England’s starting right-back.
Reece James was ruled out of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in October 2022 after suffering a knee injury while playing for Chelsea against AC Milan in the Champions League. He subsequently said that he was “devastated” to not be included in the England team.
After suffering an injury, he declared his desire to rejoin the England team in November 2023, following England manager Gareth Southgate’s statement that James’s spot in the Euro 2024 squad was in jeopardy.
James’ first senior international goal came on March 24, 2025, as the team defeated Latvia 3-0 to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Personal Life
In an attempt to help his previous loan club, James donated personally in August 2020 and shared a link to a Crowdfunder website that aimed to increase Wigan’s revenue on social media. ‘Come on, let’s help @laticsofficial out’ was what he stated in the message to entice others to follow.
Marcus Rashford commended James and teammate Mason Mount for their “amazing” philanthropic activities in January 2021. James had been volunteering for The Felix Project, a charity with headquarters in London, for the previous 18 months.
James attributes his career to his father, Nigel James, as well as the coaches of the Chelsea youth team, Frank O’Brien, Joe Edwards, and Jody Morris. In the current age, Reece and his sister Lauren are the first brother and sister to play senior English.
Style of Play
He was characterized as “strong and influential” by Thomas Tuchel, his former Chelsea manager. He and Ben Chilwell played wing-back together for a portion of his career, both at the club and international levels.
Reece James Faith
Reece James is one of the quiet footballers who are not vocal about their faith. But from what we gather, he is practicing Christianity.
Net Worth
A multi-millionaire at just 25, Reece James has cemented his place among football’s elite, with an estimated net worth of approximately £8 million as of 2025, according to Surprise Sports. Most of that comes from his football career, where standout performances for Chelsea and England have led to big-money contracts and some pretty impressive endorsement deals.
According to Capology, James is now bound by a huge £52 million deal with Chelsea that expires in 2028. With bonuses not included, that means he’s making about £13 million for the 2024–2025 season alone, or about £250,000 per week.
Reece James’s Girlfriend
Mia McClenaghan, a social media star and English law graduate, is James’s partner. When James shared a photo of himself with Mia on her birthday in November 2020, referring to her as his “best friend,” the couple made their romance public. They have since shared tidbits of their lives together, such as commemorating holidays and life achievements.
Honours
Chelsea U18
- U18 Premier League: 2016–17, 2017–18
- FA Youth Cup: 2016–17, 2017–18
Chelsea
- UEFA Champions League: 2020–21
- UEFA Conference League: 2024–25
- UEFA Super Cup: 2021
- FIFA Club World Cup: 2021, 2025
- FA Cup runner-up: 2019–20, 2020–21, 2021–22
- EFL Cup runner-up: 2021–22
England U19
- UEFA European Under-19 Championship: 2017
England U20
- Toulon Tournament: 2017
England
- UEFA European Championship runner-up: 2020
Individual
- Toulon Tournament Best XI: 2017
- Chelsea Academy Player of the Year: 2017–18
- Wigan Athletic Player of the Year: 2018–19
- Wigan Athletic Player’s Player of the Year: 2018–19
- Wigan Athletic Goal of the Season: 2018–19
- FA Cup Team of the Year: 2020–21
- PFA Community Champion Award: 2020–21
