Emerson Palmieri dos Santos (born 3 August 1994), known as Emerson Palmieri or simply Emerson, is a professional footballer who plays as a left-back for club West Ham United and the Italy national team. Internationally, Emerson played for his native Brazil at under-17 level, but he later declared his desire to represent Italy, having been granted Italian citizenship in 2017. He has since been called up to the Italy national team, making his senior international debut with the side in 2018 and later taking part at UEFA Euro 2020, winning the tournament.

Club career

Santos

Born in

Santos, São Paulo Santos (, ''Saints'') is a municipality in the Brazilian state of São Paulo, founded in 1546 by the Portuguese nobleman Brás Cubas. It is located mostly on the island of São Vicente, which harbors both the city of Santos and the city of São ...

, 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 The Campeonato Paulista Série A1, commonly known as Campeonato Paulista, nicknamed Paulistão, is the top-flight professional association football, football league in the Brazilian States of Brazil, state of São Paulo (state), São Paulo. Run b ...

home win against Paulista. His first start occurred on 21 January 2012, in a 1–1 away draw against

XV de Piracicaba Esporte Clube XV de Novembro, commonly referred to as XV de Piracicaba, is a professional association football club based in Piracicaba, São Paulo, Brazil. The team competes in Campeonato Paulista Série A2, the second tier of the São Paulo st ...

. In February, he returned to the youth team, but he was called up to the match against

Mogi Mirim Mogi Mirim is a municipality located in the eastern part of São Paulo State, in Brazil. The population is 93,650 (2020 est.) in an area of 498 km². The elevation is 611 m. Mogi Mirim is around 65 km from Campinas, the biggest city in ...

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 Palermo ( , ; scn, Palermu , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (political), capital of both the autonomous area, autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan ...

, 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 Roma or ROMA may refer to: Places Australia * Roma, Queensland, a town ** Roma Airport ** Roma Courthouse ** Electoral district of Roma, defunct ** Town of Roma, defunct town, now part of the Maranoa Regional Council *Roma Street, Brisbane, a ...

, on loan for one year. 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 Stephan El Shaarawy (born 27 October 1992) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a winger for club Roma and the Italy national team. He is nicknamed ''Il Faraone'' (The Pharaoh), as his father is Egyptian. El Shaarawy began his ...

in the 78th minute, he netted his team's third after a rebound. His loan was extended for a further season on 7 July. On 5 December 2016, after reaching 12 matches during the campaign, Emerson was bought outright for a reported fee of €2 million. Emerson missed much of the first half of the 2017–18 season due to an

anterior cruciate ligament injury An anterior cruciate ligament injury occurs when the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is either stretched, partially torn, or completely torn. The most common injury is a complete tear. Symptoms include pain, an audible cracking sound during inju ...

that he suffered in May 2017. He made his comeback on 1 December 2017, coming off the bench in the last 15 minutes of the match against SPAL for the Serie A, which turned out as his sole appearance for Roma during that season.

Chelsea

On 30 January 2018, Emerson joined English side Chelsea on a four-and-half-year deal for an undisclosed fee. According to Roma, the transfer fee was €20 million plus €9 million bonus. He made his debut against Hull City in the fifth round of the FA Cup, assisting fellow January signing Olivier Giroud for his first Chelsea goal. The Blues came out 4–0 winners at

Stamford Bridge Stamford Bridge may refer to: * Stamford Bridge, East Riding of Yorkshire, a village in England ** Battle of Stamford Bridge, 25 September 1066 * Stamford Bridge (bridge), a bridge in the village of Stamford Bridge * Stamford Bridge (stadium), in L ...

. Emerson made his Premier League debut on 4 March 2018 as a second-half substitute in a 1–0 defeat at

Manchester City Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The tw ...

. His first Premier League start came away to Burnley on 19 April. Emerson set up Victor Moses for the winning goal as Chelsea claimed a 2–1 victory. Chelsea went on to win the

2017–18 FA Cup The 2017–18 FA Cup (also known as the FA Challenge Cup) was the 137th edition of the oldest recognised football tournament in the world. It was sponsored by Emirates, and known as The Emirates FA Cup for sponsorship purposes. 737 clubs were accep ...

but Emerson was injured and missed the final. On 26 September 2018, in his first appearance of the 2018–19 season, Emerson scored his first goal for Chelsea, the equaliser in an eventual 2–1 away win against Liverpool, in the third round of the

EFL Cup The EFL Cup (referred to historically, and colloquially, as the League Cup), currently known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual knockout competition and major trophy in men's domestic football in England. Organised by the ...

. On 24 February 2019, he started for Chelsea in the 2019 EFL Cup Final on, and was one of the three Chelsea players to convert their spot kicks in the resulting shoot-out following a 0–0 draw after extra-time; however, Manchester City ultimately prevailed 4–3. On 29 May, he assisted Olivier Giroud's opening goal in a 4–1 win over

Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...

in the

2019 UEFA Europa League Final The 2019 UEFA Europa League Final was the final match of the 2018–19 UEFA Europa League, the 48th season of Europe's secondary club football tournament organised by UEFA, and the 10th season since it was renamed from the UEFA Cup to the UEFA E ...

. On 17 March 2021, Emerson scored his first UEFA Champions League goal for the Blues in a 2–0 home win over

Atlético Madrid Club Atlético de Madrid, Sociedad Anónima Deportiva, S.A.D. (; meaning "Athletic Club of Madrid"), known simply as Atleti in the Spanish-speaking world and commonly referred to at international level as Atlético Madrid, is a Spanish profess ...

in the second leg of the Round of 16 tie. Emerson was part of the Chelsea squad which won the

2021 UEFA Champions League Final The 2021 UEFA Champions League Final was the final match of the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League, the 66th season of Europe's premier club football tournament organised by UEFA, and the 29th season since it was renamed from the European Cup to the ...

1–0 against

, however did not come off the bench in the match.

Lyon (loan)

On 19 August 2021, Emerson joined

Ligue 1 Ligue 1, officially known as Ligue 1 Uber Eats for sponsorship reasons, is a French professional league for men's association football clubs. At the top of the French football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. A ...

side Lyon on a one-year loan.

West Ham United

On 23 August 2022, Emerson joined Premier League side West Ham United on a four-year contract with a one-year option for an undisclosed fee from fellow Premier League club Chelsea. On 11 February 2023, Emerson played against his old side Chelsea in the London derby, and scored his side's first goal in the game.

International career

Emerson represented Brazil at under-17 level during the

2011 South American U-17 Championship The 2011 South American Under-17 Football Championship ( es, link=no, Campeonato Sudamericano Sub-17 Ecuador 2011) was the 14th U-17 tournament for national teams affiliated with CONMEBOL. It was held in Ecuador from 12 March to 9 April 2011. Th ...

and during

2011 FIFA U-17 World Cup The 2011 FIFA U-17 World Cup was the fourteenth tournament of the FIFA U-17 World Cup, and the eleventh played since the change in age limits from under 16s to Under 17s in 1991. It was held in Mexico with games being played amongst various venues ...

, 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 in extra-time; Emerson started the final, and was substituted for Alessandro Florenzi in extra-time.

Style of play

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".

Personal life

Emerson has Italian ancestry on his mother's side from

Rossano Rossano is a town and ''frazione'' of Corigliano-Rossano in the province of Cosenza, Calabria, southern Italy. The city is situated on an eminence from the Gulf of Taranto. The town is known for its marble and alabaster quarries. The town is t ...

, near

Cosenza Cosenza (; local dialect: ''Cusenza'', ) is a city in Calabria, Italy. The city centre has a population of approximately 70,000; the urban area counts more than 200,000 inhabitants. It is the capital of the Province of Cosenza, which has a populati ...

Calabria , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...

, and has been an Italian citizen since March 2017. His older brother, Giovanni, is also a footballer and a left back.

Career statistics

Club

International

Honours

Santos *

2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

Chelsea * UEFA Champions League: 2020–21 * UEFA Europa League: 2018–19 * UEFA Super Cup:

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...

; runner-up:

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

* FA Cup runner-up: 2019–20, 2020–21 *

runner-up: 2018–19 Brazil U17 * South American U-17 Championship:

Italy * UEFA European Championship:

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...

* UEFA Nations League third place: 2020–21 Orders :* ITA OMRI 2001 Cav BAR

5th Class / Knight: ''

Cavaliere Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana The Order of Merit of the Italian Republic ( it, Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana) is the senior Italian order of merit. It was established in 1951 by the second President of the Italian Republic, Luigi Einaudi. The highest-ranking h ...

'': 2021

References

External links

Emerson
at West Ham United F.C. * * * * *
Profile at the Italian Football Federation

Profile at LegaSerieA.it
{{DEFAULTSORT:Palmieri, Emerson 1994 births Living people Sportspeople from Santos, São Paulo Brazilian people of Italian descent Citizens of Italy through descent Brazilian footballers Brazil youth international footballers Italian footballers Italy international footballers Association football fullbacks Santos FC players Palermo F.C. players A.S. Roma players Chelsea F.C. players Olympique Lyonnais players West Ham United F.C. players Campeonato Brasileiro Série A players Serie A players Premier League players Ligue 1 players UEFA Europa League winning players UEFA Champions League winning players UEFA Euro 2020 players Brazilian expatriate footballers Brazilian expatriate sportspeople in England Brazilian expatriate sportspeople in France Italian expatriate footballers Italian expatriate sportspeople in England Italian expatriate sportspeople in France Expatriate footballers in England Expatriate footballers in France UEFA European Championship-winning players Knights of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic