Emerson

Grêmio

Emerson made a name for himself in his native Brazil playing for Grêmio, where he won two state championships, two Brazilian Cups, one Brazilian Championship and one Copa Libertadores. He was an unused substitute at the Intercontinental Cup of 1995 which was lost against Ajax Amsterdam on penalties. In 1997 he went to Europe to play for German club Bayer Leverkusen.

Bayer Leverkusen

In 1997, Emerson was transferred to Bayer Leverkusen. He made his debut on 1 August 1997 against Schalke 04. Leverkusen finished in third place in the 1997–98 Bundesliga season. This was followed by two consecutive second-place finishes in the Bundesliga, behind champions Bayern Munich on both occasions. Emerson spent three years at Leverkusen, scoring 11 goals in 82 league appearances. On 13 August 1997, he made his debut in UEFA competitions in the qualifying round for the 1997–98 UEFA Champions League, in Bayer Leverkusen's 6–1 aggregate win over Dinamo Tbilisi. Leverkusen would eventually reach the Champions League quarter-finals, losing out to eventual champions Real Madrid. Emerson also reached the UEFA Cup round of 16 on two occasions with Leverkusen.

Roma

Emerson signed for Italian Serie A club Roma in the summer of 2000 for 35 billion Italian lire (€18.1 million by fixed exchange rate). He signed a five-year contract with an average salary of 7.2 billion Italian lire per year before tax. However, due to the quota imposed on non-EU players, Emerson was…

Emerson made his Brazil debut on 10 September 1997, in a home friendly match against Ecuador, in Salvador, Bahia, also scoring a goal in the match, as Brazil went on to win 4–2. He was a late replacement for Romário at the 1998 FIFA World Cup following Romário's injury. The defending World Cup champions Brazil reached the final, losing 3–0 to hosts and eventual champions France. (Four years later, it would be Emerson who would miss out on a spot at the 2002 World Cup due to injury.) The following year, Emerson won the 1999 Copa América with Brazil, as Brazil overcame Uruguay in the final. Emerson scored one goal during the tournament, in Brazil's 7–0 win in its opening group match against Venezuela. Brazil also reached the final of the 1999 FIFA Confederations Cup that year, where they lost the trophy to hosts Mexico in the final. Emerson scored his second international goal on 31 March 1999, in a friendly match against Japan in Tokyo, which Brazil won 2–0. Emerson scored his first double for Brazil on 23 February 2000 in a friendly match in Bangkok against Thailand, which Brazil won 7–0. Emerson was intended to be the original captain for Brazil's 2002 World Cup team, but he suffered an unfortunate injury in training before the first match of the tournament, dislocating his shoulder when attempting to parry a shot by a teammate. He was replaced by Ricardinho of Corinthians, while Cafu replaced him as captain. Brazil would ultimately win the tournament. In 2005, Emerson won…

Emerson was an experienced, quick, combative, hardworking and dynamic player, who was capable of being deployed in several midfield positions. He played as a central midfielder, and as a box-to-box midfielder on occasion, although his main position was that of a defensive midfielder, who was renowned for breaking down the opposition's play through his efficient tackling, stamina, anticipation, and ability to read the game. He was also capable of subsequently starting up attacking plays once he won back possession, due to his quick and effective passing style, as well as his technique. These attributes led to his nickname Il Puma for his elegant, yet powerful, feline movements when chasing down opponents in midfield. He was also gifted with a powerful and accurate shot from distance, although he was also known to be injury prone.

Club

International

Scores and results list Brazil's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Emerson goal.