Born in Rio de Janeiro, Emerson started playing with Flamengo, but he soon moved to Coritiba in search of first-team football.
By now, Emerson's performances had attracted interest from major European clubs, and eventually he signed with Premier League side Middlesbrough, completing a £4 million move.
However, things turned sour quickly with Emerson's former manager Bobby Robson, now at FC Barcelona, expressing his interest in bringing the player to the Camp Nou – this unsettled the midfielder, who by this time had already endured relegation to Division One in addition to difficulties in adjusting to life on Teesside.
After further one-year stints with Atlético Madrid and Rangers,[2] where he became the first ever Brazilian to play for the Scottish, scoring once against Panathinaikos in the 2003–04 Champions League,[3] Emerson moved to Greece, joining Skoda Xanthi in the summer of 2005.
However, in January of the following year, he returned to Brazil and ended his career playing for lowly Madureira Esporte Clube, at the Rio de Janeiro State League.