They
are in his room at home and Emerson Palmieri cannot take his eyes off them.
They are the medals from a glorious summer. "Every day I look at them and I
am reminded of how lucky I have been to have this opportunity," he tells Sky
Sports. "My son wears them."
A Champions League winner with Chelsea in May, Emerson followed that up by
helping Italy to win Euro 2020 in July. He is still processing events at
Wembley. The penalty shootout victory over England. The circumstances that
have turned him into a national hero.
"I cannot express in words what happened that night," he says." I cannot
tell you how emotional I was feeling. The atmosphere, the people, the final
whistle. The big emotions. It was a special moment, a special day in my
life. But I cannot explain any of it."
Emerson does remember the build-up. "I turned on the television and I read
some of the English newspapers. They were really confident that England were
going to win."
He recalls the celebrations in Rome afterwards, too.
"To go back with the trophy and celebrate with the nation was one of the
most beautiful moments of my life. After the disappointment of not being
able to qualify for the World Cup in Russia, it was hard. People were really
disappointed in the team. But they believed in us.
"To be able to win the Euros, three years after that, was great. To see a
nation that is so passionate about football. We really deserved it. Italy is
one of the countries that has suffered the most with the pandemic. To give
the people this joy is really beautiful."
Afterwards, he went straight to Brazil, the country of his birth, for four
days with family. Then it was a short holiday in Cancun, Mexico, with his
wife and son. Now, belatedly, he can reflect on his accomplishments - a
summer in which he was thrust into the spotlight.
Emerson, 26, is a talented player, of course. He has shown that with Roma,
Chelsea and Italy. But after a season in which he did not make a Premier
League start and began Euro 2020 as second-choice at left-back, his role
proved to be an unexpected one.
Leonardo Spinazzola still made the team of the tournament. "He proved
himself to be a top player, although I already knew that." But injury in the
quarter-final against Belgium ended his adventure. "It was really bad luck."
Emerson was called upon when it mattered most.
The noise from the outside was that this might damage Italy's chances, so
impressive had Spinazzola been. "When you play at this level, it is normal
that everyone is watching you." But while he put pressure on himself,
Emerson felt none from his team-mates.
"The victory was not a victory of just two or three players, it was a
victory for the group. We managed to create a group where it did not feel
important who played. All that mattered was that those who played gave their
best - to run, to fight and to give it everything.
"Because of that, I did not really feel the pressure. Of course, there was
personal pressure there, pressure that I put on myself to play at the same
level as Spinazzola. But nobody else was putting that pressure on me. We
played as a team. It was not easy but we did it."
Much of that came from Roberto Mancini. As a nation wept with Spinazzola,
his thoughts turned to Emerson. Before the semi-final against Spain, he was
emphatic in his support of a player who he has shown remarkable faith in
ever since awarding him his first cap in 2018.
"Mancini is a really great coach. Right from the beginning, he always called
me up and believed in me. He trusted me immediately. Last year, for example,
I was not able to play as much as I wanted at Chelsea. Nevertheless, he
called me up for the Euros.
"After Spinazzola's injury, he spoke to me and told me that I was going to
play the whole tournament until the end. He said, 'We believe in you, we are
behind you, we support you every step of the way. Go and do what you can
do.' I am so grateful to him."
He is grateful too for the opportunities afforded him by his adoptive
country. Born in Brazil, Emerson gained citizenship just four years ago,
tracing Italian roots on his mother's side.
"As soon as I arrived in Italy they welcomed me. I immediately felt part of
the team. I felt Italian. I lived this experience and everyone in Brazil,
all my friends and family, supported the team because they know what I have
been through to arrive at this point.
"My family, we all feel Italian in our heart. Italy has given me so much.
There is the football, but there is so much more that Italy has given me
than that. I was able to grow as a man and as a professional in Italy. I
have to thank Italy for everything that the country has given me.
"Words cannot express how grateful I am to this country so to be able to
celebrate this moment and to win this trophy means the world to me. I still
can't explain what it means to my family yet. I hope that we will have other
moments to share together."
Having made only seven starts for Chelsea last season, he can expect to play
rather more football this time around having secured a loan move to Lyon.
His final act for Chelsea came as an unused substitute in the club's
dramatic UEFA Super Cup win over Villarreal.
Emerson has a taste for trophies now.
"I have always been confident that I could do well but this year after the
Champions League and the Euros I am much more confident and in a good mental
place. I have come to a point in my career and now the difficult part is to
maintain this level.
"Every year, at the start of a season I have targets that I look to reach in
terms of games, goals and assists and so on. I am really confident this
season is going to be a great one.
"The World Cup is a bit further away. I am not thinking about that yet,
because I am still enjoying this feeling. Let's enjoy this bit longer and
then we will think about the World Cup.
"Honestly, I would really like to win everything all over again because it
is a great feeling."
He smiles. Time for another look at those medals.
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