33.  EMERSON PALMIERI

Born in Santos, São Paulo, Emerson finished his formation in local Santos' youth categories, and made 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 youth team, but in 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.

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.

On 31 August 2015, Emerson joined fellow league team Roma, 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 main category 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 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 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.

On 30 January 2018, Emerson joined English side Chelsea on a four-and-half-year deal for a fee around the margin of £17.5 million.

Emerson represented Brazil at under-17 level during the 2011 South American Under-17 Football Championship and during 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 allegance to Italy on 29 March 2017.