In our final Chelsea Advent offering this Christmas, Blues captain and No.24 Reece James reflects on a momentous year in which he passed 200 games for the club and lifted silverware for the first time as our skipper…
2025 could scarcely have gone any better for Reece James.
The Blues captain initially benefitted from periods of recovery and renewal. Now, as the year draws to a close, it is abundantly clear James has rediscovered his very best form. Recent performances against Arsenal and Newcastle were timely reminders of his world-class ability.
As satisfying has been the sheer volume of games James has played in 2025. The visit of Aston Villa on Saturday is set to be his 50th appearance of the calendar year, the highest such figure he has achieved since 2021.
Since marking his return to Premier League action in January with a dramatic last-gasp free-kick against Bournemouth, James hasn’t looked back. He featured in 28 of our 35 fixtures in all competitions in the second half of last season. So far this term he has played in all but one league and Champions League game, and started 16 of a possible 23 matches in those two competitions.
Such consistency in availability and performance enabled James to pass the milestone of 200 Chelsea appearances back in October.
‘It’s a dream for me to play 200 games for the club I’ve supported since I was a little boy, and hopefully I can continue to get many more,’ James says.
‘I tried to learn as much as I could because there were so many more experienced players in the team. Obviously, Azpi being the captain at the time, I was playing in the same position, so I tried to learn lots from him while he was here.
‘When I was young it was just about one day at a time, not looking too far ahead, and if you give everything each day then, if the opportunity came, I would be ready to try to take it.’
There have been collective successes along the way this year, too, namely lifting the Conference League and the Club World Cup. Our victory over Paris Saint-Germain in New Jersey, when James excelled in midfield, is a clear career highlight. The manner of our 3-0 victory against the European champions stood out.
‘We needed to be fearless,’ he says.
‘You can’t look at past results – you need to focus on now, and what’s in front of you. If you look over our history, I think we are super strong in one-off games…underdogs as well, in a lot of the times when we’ve come out on top.’
Now the challenge is turning that speciality in ‘one-off games’ into something more consistent. James is motivated by the prospect of getting his hands on more silverware as Chelsea skipper and he is excited by the possibilities that lie ahead.
He said: ‘Over the past few years it’s obviously changed, things have adapted, new people have come in – different members of staff, a much younger team.
‘But I think the last season speaks for itself about how far we’ve come and where we’re trying to go, what we’re going to achieve. I think, with time, everything will only get stronger and better.’
A version of this interview was first published in theChelsea matchday programme in November 2025.
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