An experienced footballer who was nicknamed the Puma due to his powerful but elegant, ball-winning style of play, Emerson has played for two Brazilian clubs, Grêmio and Santos, as well as several European clubs in Germany, Italy, and Spain, including Bayer Leverkusen, Roma, Juventus, Real Madrid and Milan, winning several titles.

[6] Emerson made his Serie A debut in a 3–0 victory on 28 January 2001 against Napoli, replacing Marco Delvecchio in the 56th minute.

After a prolonged transfer saga in which Roma wanted to sell Emerson to Real Madrid instead of Serie A rivals Juventus, Emerson was eventually sold to Juventus (which he preferred) in 2004 for €12 million plus Matteo Brighi (who was valued at €16 million),[7] following in the footsteps of his former club coach, Fabio Capello.

However, Emerson was unable to contribute significantly to his new club due to injury, only managing 20 appearances for Milan in the 2007–08 season.

However, due to international transfer restrictions, Emerson was unable to join Grêmio until August 2009 at the earliest.

On 3 November 2015, Emerson announced he was joining Miami Dade FC of the American Premier Soccer League (APSL).

[15] On 7 May 2017, Emerson made his debut for Miami Dade alongside former Brazil national team player Gabriel in a 3–1 victory against Jupiter United.

Emerson scored his second international goal on 31 March 1999, in a friendly match against Japan in Tokyo, which Brazil won 2–0.

[16] Emerson was intended to be the original captain for Brazil's 2002 World Cup team, but he suffered an unfortunate injury in training before the first match of the tournament, dislocating his shoulder when attempting to parry a shot by a teammate.

In 2005, Emerson won the 2005 Confederations Cup with Brazil, who defeated South American rivals Argentina 4–1 in the final, as well as overcoming hosts Germany 3–2 in the semi-finals.

Emerson was an experienced, quick, combative, hardworking and dynamic player, who was capable of being deployed in several midfield positions.

[19] He was also capable of subsequently starting up attacking plays once he won back possession, due to his quick and effective passing style, as well as his technique.

[3][20] These attributes led to his nickname Il Puma for his elegant, yet powerful, feline movements when chasing down opponents in midfield.