Emerson Palmieri

Santos

Born in Santos, São Paulo, Emerson played in Santos' youth team making his first team debut on 17 April 2011, coming on as a late substitute for Keirrison in a 3–0 Campeonato Paulista home win against Paulista. His first start occurred on 21 January 2012, in a 1–1 away draw against XV de Piracicaba. In February, he returned to the youth team, but he was called up to the match against Mogi Mirim in the following month. He also appeared against Ituano and Paulista, as the club was crowned champions of Paulistão for the third consecutive time. On 17 June, Emerson made his Série A debut, in a 0–1 defeat against Flamengo. He scored his first goal on 5 September 2013, but in a 1–2 loss at Atlético Paranaense.

Palermo (loan)

On 25 August 2014, Emerson was loaned to Serie A's Palermo, with a buyout clause. He made his debut in the competition on 24 September, coming on as a second half substitute for Fabio Daprelà in a 3–3 away draw against Napoli. Emerson played nine league matches for the club, being mainly a backup to another new signing, Achraf Lazaar.

Roma

On 31 August 2015, Emerson joined fellow league team Roma on a one-year loan. A second-choice behind Lucas Digne, he made his debut for the club on 4 October in a 4–2 away win against former side Palermo. Emerson scored his first goal in the top league of Italian football on 14 May 2016, in a 3–1 away win against Milan; after replacing Stephan El Shaarawy in the 78th minute, he netted…

Emerson represented Brazil at under-17 level during the 2011 South American U-17 Championship and during the 2011 FIFA U-17 World Cup, being crowned champions of the former. He was an undisputed starter during both tournaments, scoring a goal against Chile on 16 March 2011. In March 2017, after being close to acquiring Italian citizenship, Emerson was reportedly pursued by Italy head coach Gian Piero Ventura with the intention of switching his international allegiance to Italy. He officially switched allegiance to Italy on 29 March 2017. Emerson was called up by Ventura for matches against Uruguay and Liechtenstein in June 2017, however, withdrew due to injury and replaced by Andrea Conti. On 19 May 2018, new Italy coach Roberto Mancini called Emerson for Italy's May and June friendly matches against Saudi Arabia, France and the Netherlands, however, he withdrew due to another injury. He was later called up again to the team in September 2018, for Italy's opening UEFA Nations League matches against Poland and Portugal later that month. He made his senior international debut for Italy on 10 September, during the UEFA Nations League match against Portugal, coming on as a second-half substitute for Domenico Criscito in his team's 1–0 away loss. In June 2021, Emerson was included in Italy's squad for UEFA Euro 2020. On 11 July, Emerson won the European Championship with Italy following a 3–2 penalty shoot-out victory over England at Wembley Stadium in the final, after a 1–1 draw…

Emerson usually plays as a left-back and is known for his stamina, athleticism, physical qualities, and technique, which make him an effective offensive asset. He is also known for his ability to get past opponents and provide crosses into the penalty box. A versatile player, he is also capable of playing as a wing-back or wide midfielder on the left flank, and has even been used in a more advanced role as an offensive winger on occasion. Emerson's Chelsea profile notes that he is "skilful, possesses a good range of passing and reads the game well".

Emerson has Italian ancestry on his mother's side from Rossano, near Cosenza in Calabria, and has been an Italian citizen since March 2017. His older brother, Giovanni, is also a footballer and a left back.