Reece James: Parents, Siblings, Salary, Ethnic, Background, Life Story

Isn’t it great to be a successful athlete at a young age? Well, that’s Reece James for you. He is a professional footballer signed to the English Premier League club, Chelsea. He holds the defender position, which he is incredibly good at, for the team.

In his football career, he has led his team to victory by winning league trophies, and as a result, won numerous awards and titles. He has made 56 appearances in the Premier League, 30 wins and scored several goals in his career.

Reece James in summary:

• Name: Reece James
• Nationality: British
• Date of birth: December 8, 1999
• Place of birth: Redbridge, Ilford, United Kingdom
• Age: 21 years
• Height: 1.80m (5'9)
• Weight: 87kg
• Profession: Football player
• Position: Defender
• Current team: Chelsea
• Father: Nigel James
• Siblings: Joshua James and Lauren James
• Marital status: in a relationship
• Girlfriend: Mia-Florence McClenaghan

Background

Reece James was born on December 8, 1999, in Redbridge, Ilford, United Kingdom, where he grew up with his family. He schooled at Isleworth and Syon School until 2014 when he left to join Chelsea’s football academy full-time.

Recce has an older brother and a younger sister. Out of the three children, he is the second born. His all-time favorite hobby is playing football and occasionally being a social activist. He wears jersey number 24.

He became famous after being named the Chelsea Academy Player of the year after the 2017/2018 football season. A fun fact about him is, he is the youngest player in Chelsea to ever score a goal in the Champions League.

Parents and siblings

What is known about Reece James’ family is that it’s made up of football players. To begin with, his father, Nigel James, is a football coach licensed by UEFA and owns a football training academy that produces elite footballers like his son.

His brother Joshua James and sister Lauren James are also into football. Joshua chose not to go professional despite being an outstanding player from childhood. On the other hand, Reece James’ sister Lauren plays for Chelsea’s women team and was previously signed to Manchester United’s women team.

Not much is known about Reece’s mother since he rarely speaks of her during interviews or post her on social media.

Ethnic background

Born in the United Kingdom, Reece James is originally from Europe. Being a British citizen of black descent, he identifies as a black British person and is very vocal about matters that deal with racism. He once opened up about getting racist messages from people, especially on social media.

“It’s terrible that it obviously still happens and I receive the messages that I received,” James told beIN Sports. “It made me very upset and angry when I got them, and I think we can do a lot more to help put an end to it.” He requested media platforms to do more in stopping racist abuse.

Many social media users thought that Reece James is from Nigeria after tweeting about SARS and the police brutality in Nigeria. In the post, he empathized with Nigerians and everyone who was affected worldwide. However, it turns out he is not Nigerian, and the tweet was just an act of social activism.

Life story and career

Football is the backbone of Reece James’ life. Being the son of a prolific football coach and a former professional football player, he got introduced to football at a very young age. He started playing at four years old with his brother and received mentorship from his father.

At six years old, he had grown his football skills and was already playing for a local club. It’s at this point he got recognized by Chelsea’s scouts and received an invitation to join their academy. In the academy, he trained vigorously and rose through the ranks, from being a striker to playing defense.

He debuted for the club’s youth team during the 2015/2016 league season. He maintained his good form and became captain of the Under 18 team. As captain, he championed his team to win the FA Youth Cup in the 2017/2018 season, and this warranted the Academy player of the season title. Before going professional, he won six major trophies at the youth level.

In 2018, he was loaned by Chelsea to Wigan Athletic FC after signing a contract. He played for the team in the Championship season as a right-back and midfielder. While playing for Wigan, he grasped the Goal of the Season and Player of the Year awards. This proves how much of a profound player Reece is.

He suffered an ankle injury prior to the 2019/2020 season and had to stay off the field as the season began. However, the injury did not set him back, for he marked his return in September 2019 with a ceremonial goal that lead the team to a win against Grimsby Town FC in the Carabao Cup.

He got promoted to Chelsea’s first team and signed a five-year contract in 2020 that extends till 2025 playing defense. He was Chelsea’s first right-back choice after Frank Lampard when the 2020/2021 season began. He graced the season with a superb strike that saw Chelsea win 3–1 against Brighton at Amex Stadium.

He not only plays for Chelsea but also for England in international matches. Internationally, he has played in the under-17, under-19, under-20 and Under-21 England championship teams before advancing to the England senior squad. While in the youth team, he won the 2017 UEFA European U19 Championship and the U20 Toulon Tournament.

Having the opportunity to be in the England senior squad, he played as a substitute against Wales and started as a wing-back in a match against Denmark.

Has Reece James ever played for Manchester United? No. Apart from Chelsea, he has only played for Wigan Athletic FC in his entire football career. On the contrary, Reece’s sister Lauren played for Manchester United from 2018 to 2021 before joining Chelsea’s women team as their forward.

Salary

Being a high-value football player, he definitely does not come cheap. After signing a contract with Chelsea to be their right-back in 2019, the team pays him a whooping £100,000 every week ($118,120). Reece James' salary is £400,000 ($472,480) and he earns a total of £4.8 million ($5.67 million) in a year. His net worth is evaluated to be £250,000 ($ 295,133) and market value of £7 million ($8.26 million).

Love and relationship

Reece James has made his relationship with Mia-Florence McClenaghan, alias “Miamcclenagham” on Instagram, a public affair. The two often share posts of each other on their Instagram handles to profess their love. Their fans are really excited for them, hoping they will last and end up married. As of now, they do not have a child and seem to enjoy it.

Reece James is an admirable football athlete whose passion for football is seen in his success. Coming from a family of football enthusiasts has provided him with the support and mentorship needed to succeed in his profession. For this reason, he has won awards and titles that have contributed significantly to shaping his football career.

For updates on the latest news on the player, follow his social media accounts. He actively posts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. You can also engage with him through his website.