Reece James and Jadon Sancho currently share a dressing room at Chelsea, but they were once on opposite sides and direct competitors in their academy days.
Reece James and Jadon Sancho, both aged 25, took quite different routes to end up at Chelsea.
For James, he’s been training with the Blues since the age of six and came all the way through the age ranks at the Chelsea academy. The right-back’s path has led to him becoming a first-team star at Stamford Bridge, where he’s won the Champions League and since become the club captain.
| Appearances | Goals | Assists | Trophies |
| 176 | 13 | 23 | 3 |
As for Sancho, his academy journey started at Watford before joining Manchester City. In his senior career, the winger has played for Borussia Dortmund, Manchester United and now Chelsea on loan.
Even though he joined last summer on loan with an obligation to buy, Chelsea can opt out of buying Sancho for a penalty fee. At this moment, Chelsea are unlikely to sign Sancho permanently at the end of the season.
| Appearances | Club | Goals | Assists | Trophies |
| Borussia Dortmund | 158 | 53 | 67 | 2 |
| Manchester United | 83 | 12 | 6 | 1 |
| Chelsea | 33 | 3 | 10 | 0 |
Reece James dominated Jadon Sancho when they faced off in a FA Youth Cup final
Chelsea won’t be competing in this season’s FA Youth Cup final in May, which is between Aston Villa and Manchester City. However, the Blues Under-18s team have a great history of success in the competition during the 21st century.
Between 2013 and 2018, the Chelsea U18s won the trophy for five consecutive seasons when the final used to be two legs.
Chelsea and Man City had a great rivalry in the mid-2010s by contesting the FA Youth Cup final in each of the 2014/15, 2015/16 and 2016/17 campaigns. The Blues, who had plenty of youngsters that are recognisable in the modern day, were just too powerful for City.
Jody Morris, who was the manager when the Blues won the cup in both the 2016/17 and 2017/18 seasons, once recalled an interesting battle between James and Sancho.
During the 2017 FA Youth Cup final, Chelsea full-back James put in a dominant performance to get the better of then-Man City winger Sancho.
During an interview with The Times in 2021, Morris said: “In the [2017] FA Youth Cup final [against Manchester City], Reece played directly against Jadon Sancho and Jadon never got a kick. Reece was outstanding. He was the right side of a back three. Like most Premier League players have found this year when they come up against Reece it’s difficult.”
If you fast forward to now, James and Sancho are high-profile names in Chelsea’s squad together.
Back in February 2025, Sancho called James his toughest opponent in training. We’re sure that the pair still reminisce about their academy battles when working together now.
Even though James has had his injury battles over the years, he’s still a formidable right-back when he gets on the pitch. The good news is that the club captain has had an injury-free 2025 so far.
Speaking in May 2024, Man City attacker Jeremy Doku praised James by naming him as one of his toughest opponents on a football pitch.
Jody Morris first spotted a young Reece James as a midfielder
In the interview with The Times from a few years ago, Morris recalled his first memory of James in the Chelsea academy. Morris said: “Reece’s talent stood out early. He was a fantastic footballer, playing in midfield when I first saw him.”
It’s well documented that James did play as a midfielder earlier in his career. Interestingly, current Blues head coach Enzo Maresca has started to use him more centrally this season as well.
While we’d still much prefer to see him at right-back, where he’s proven he can be one of the world’s very best, he’s keeping himself fit in midfield. Similar to Maresca, Martin Keown likes James playing in midfield.
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