Emerson Moisés Costa

Born in Rio de Janeiro, Emerson started playing with Flamengo, but he soon moved to Coritiba in search of first-team football. In 1991 he began his extensive overseas spell, first with C.F. Os Belenenses in Portugal. After several impressive displays, Emerson secured a move to FC Porto. Under the management of former England coach Bobby Robson, he won successive Primeira Liga titles, appeared in the UEFA Champions League and won the 1996 Portuguese Player of the Year award. By now, Emerson's performances had attracted interest from major European clubs, and eventually he signed with Premier League side Middlesbrough, completing a £4 million move. It is alleged that the deal was done without manager Bryan Robson's knowledge, the manager only finding out after it was unwittingly mentioned by chief scout Ray Trainn; Emerson's cousin, Fabio Moreira was also acquired, but played just one game in his 14-month spell. However, things turned sour quickly with Emerson's former manager Bobby Robson, at Barcelona, expressing his interest in bringing the player to the Camp Nou – this unsettled the midfielder, who by this time had already endured relegation to Division One in addition to difficulties in adjusting to life on Teesside. He travelled to Brazil for a break at the end of 1997, and once there threatened that he would not return to the club. Eventually the dispute was resolved with a move to CD Tenerife in January 1998, for around £4.25 million. Surprisingly, Middlesbrough chief…

Porto

Primeira Liga: 1994–95, 1995–96 Middlesbrough

FA Cup runner-up: 1996–97 Football League Cup runner-up: 1996–97