Emerson Royal

In this Portuguese name, the first or maternal family name is Leiteand the second or paternal family name is de Souza."Junior" is a generational suffix used for someone whose name is the same as their father, like "Jr." in English.

Emerson Royal

Emerson playing for Atlético Mineiro in 2018
Personal information
Full name	Emerson Aparecido Leite de Souza Junior [1]
Date of birth	(1999-01-14) 14 January 1999 (age 25) [2]
Place of birth	São Paulo, Brazil
Height	1.81 m (5 ft 11 in) [3]
Position(s)	Full-back wing-back centre-back
Team information
Current team	AC Milan
Number	22
Youth career
	Condor
	Unidos da Cordenonsi
	Guanabara
	Palmeiras
	Grêmio
	São Paulo
2014–2016	Ponte Preta
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2016–2018	Ponte Preta	19	(1)
2018–2019	Atlético Mineiro	23	(1)
2019	→ Betis (loan)	6	(0)
2019–2021	Barcelona	3	(0)
2019–2021	→ Betis (loan)	67	(4)
2021–2024	Tottenham Hotspur	79	(4)
2024–	AC Milan	10	(0)
International career‡
2017–2019	Brazil U20	11	(0)
2019–2020	Brazil U23	10	(0)
2019–	Brazil	10	(0)
Medal record Men's Football Representing   Brazil Copa América Runner-up 2021 Brazil
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 23:41, 23 November 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 22 November 2023

Emerson Aparecido Leite de Souza Junior (born 14 January 1999), known as Emerson Royal or simply Emerson, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a defender for Serie A club AC Milan and the Brazil national team. Mainly a right-back, he can be deployed as centre-back and full-back position.

Early life

Emerson was born in São Paulo and was raised in Americana. ^[4] He got his nickname "Royal" as his uncle said he resembled the mascot of the Royal-branded gelatin dessert sold in Brazil. ^[5]

Club career

Ponte Preta

Emerson joined Ponte Preta's youth setup in 2014, after notably representing Palmeiras, São Paulo and Grêmio. ^{[6] [4]} After appearing as an unused substitute in some matches of the 2016 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, he made his senior debut on 22 February 2017, replacing injured Artur in a 2–2 Campeonato Paulista away draw against Linense. Despite being booked and conceding a penalty, he was given his first start three days later, in a 1–0 home defeat of São Bernardo.^{[ citation needed ]}

Emerson made his Série A debut on 5 November 2017, replacing injured John Kleber in a 2–0 loss at Bahia. He contributed with three league appearances during the campaign, as his side suffered relegation.^{[ citation needed ]}

Promoted to the first team ahead of the 2018 season, ^[7] Emerson became a regular starter for Macaca, making 14 appearances in the 2018 Campeonato Paulista. On 2 April 2018, he scored his first professional goal, the winning one in the Campeonato Paulista do Interior final against Mirassol. ^[8]

Atlético Mineiro

On 27 April 2018, Emerson signed a five-year deal with Atlético Mineiro, ^[9] for a rumoured fee of R$5 million. As a part of the deal, Danilo Barcelos moved in the opposite direction on loan. ^[10]

Emerson made his debut for the club on 19 May 2018, shortly after turning 19, playing the full 90 minutes in a 1–0 win over rivals Cruzeiro. ^[11] Initially a backup to Patric, he ended the year with 23 league appearances. He scored his first goal in the top tier on 30 September, netting his team's third in a 5–2 home routing of Sport.^{[ citation needed ]}

Real Betis and Barcelona

On 31 January 2019, Atlético announced the transfer of Emerson to Barcelona, effective as of July 2019, for €12.7 million. ^[12] The deal consisted of a joint financial operation between Barcelona and fellow La Liga side Real Betis, in which each club paid half of the transfer fee and retained a percentage of Emerson's economic rights. He was to become a Betis player in July 2019, with Barcelona holding the option of reacquiring him for €6 million in 2021. ^[13] Emerson initially joined Betis on loan from Atlético for the remainder of the 2018–19 season, during which period he made seven appearances for the club. ^[14] He then became a regular starter for the Andalusians, and scored his first goal abroad on 27 September 2019, but in a 1–5 loss to Villarreal. He scored 3 goals and added 6 assists that season in 34 appearances for Betis, only missing 3 La Liga games.

On 2 June 2021, Barcelona exercised their option to bring back Emerson for three seasons by paying Betis €9 million. ^{[15] [16]}

Tottenham Hotspur

On the final day of the 2021 summer transfer window, Tottenham signed Emerson on a five-year deal for a reported £25.8 million transfer fee. ^[17] His debut was in the Premier League away to Crystal Palace which Tottenham lost 3–0 on 11 September. ^[18] On 3 April 2022, he scored his first goal for Tottenham in a 5–1 home win against Newcastle United. ^[19] On October 1, 2022, during the second half of Tottenham's Premier League away game against Arsenal, Royal received a straight red card for his tackle on Gabriel Martinelli. The team went on to lose 3–1 in the North London derby. ^[20] On 28 March 2023, the club announced he would undergo surgery on a knee injury he sustained on international duty with Brazil. ^[21] On August 13, 2023, Emerson Royal scored a drilled shot from outside the box to secure a 2–2 draw against Brentford on the opening game of the 2023–24 Premier League season. Due to a large amount of injuries at the club, Emerson filled in as a starter at left-back and centre-back as well as his natural right-back position throughout the first half of the season, widely impressing with his displays. ^[22] On 22 January 2024, it was reported that Tottenham Hotspur had rejected a £20 million bid from Saudi club Al-Nassr for Emerson. ^[22]

AC Milan

On 12 August 2024, Emerson joined Serie A club AC Milan on a four-year deal. ^[23]

International career

Emerson was called up to the Brazil under-20 team for the 2017 Toulon Tournament. ^[24] He was the first-choice right-back at the 2019 South American U-20 Championship and the 2019 Toulon Tournament, having won the latter with Brazil's under-23 side.^{[ citation needed ]}

Emerson made his senior international debut for Brazil on 19 November 2019, coming off the bench in a 3–0 victory over South Korea. ^[25]

On 11 June 2021, Emerson was called up by manager Tite for the 2021 Copa América. ^[26] He made his tournament debut on 17 June, playing the last six minutes in a 4–0 thrashing of Peru in Brazil's second group match. Ten days later, he was given his first start as he played the full match in a 1–1 draw in their final group stage match against Ecuador. On 10 July, he played in the final, after coming on in the 76th minute in their 0–1 defeat against Argentina. ^[27]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 26 November 2024 ^[28]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			State league		National cup [a]		League cup [b]		Continental		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Ponte Preta	2016	Série A	0	0	0	0	0	0	—		—		0	0	0	0
	2017		3	0	2 [c]	0	1	0	—		0	0	0	0	6	0
	2018	Série B	0	0	14 [c]	1	5	0	—		—		0	0	19	1
	Total		3	0	16	1	6	0	—		0	0	0	0	25	1
Atlético Mineiro	2018	Série A	23	1	—		—		—		—		—		23	1
Real Betis (loan)	2018–19	La Liga	6	0	—		0	0	—		1 [d]	0	—		7	0
	2019–20		33	3	—		1	0	—		—		—		34	3
	2020–21		34	1	—		4	1	—		—		—		38	2
	Total		73	4	—		5	1	—		1	0	—		79	5
Barcelona	2021–22	La Liga	3	0	—		0	0	—		0	0	0	0	3	0
Tottenham Hotspur	2021–22	Premier League	31	1	—		3	0	4	0	3 [e]	0	—		41	1
	2022–23		26	2	—		2	0	0	0	8 [f]	0	—		36	2
	2023–24		22	1	—		1	0	1	0	—		—		24	1
	Total		79	4	—		6	0	5	0	11	0	—		101	4
AC Milan	2024–25	Serie A	10	0	—		0	0	—		5 [f]	0	0	0	15	0
Career total			191	9	16	1	17	1	5	0	17	0	0	0	246	11

1. Includes Copa do Brasil, Copa del Rey and FA Cup
2. Includes EFL Cup
3. Appearance(s) in Campeonato Paulista
4. Appearance(s) in UEFA Europa League
5. Appearance(s) in UEFA Europa Conference League
6. Appearance(s) in UEFA Champions League

International

As of match played 25 March 2023 ^[29]

Appearances and goals by national team and year

National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Brazil	2019	1	0
	2021	5	0
	2022	1	0
	2023	3	0
Total		10	0

Honours

Ponte Preta

• Campeonato Paulista do Interior: 2018^{[ citation needed ]}

Brazil U23

• Toulon Tournament: 2019 ^[30]

Brazil

• Copa América runner-up: 2021 ^[31]

Individual

• Toulon Tournament Best XI: 2019 ^[32]

References

1. "2021/22 Premier League squads confirmed". Premier League. 10 September 2021. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
2. "Emerson Royal: Overview". Premier League. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
3. "Emerson Royal". FC Barcelona. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
4. "Lateral de Americana volta a ser chamado para a seleção" [Full back from Americana is called up again to the national team] (in Brazilian Portuguese). Liberal. 2 March 2018. Archived from the original on 1 February 2019. Retrieved 31 January 2019.
5. "¿Por qué Emerson llevará 'E.Royal' en la camiseta?". sport. 2 August 2021.
6. "Ele quase desistiu após ser dispensado por São Paulo e Grêmio. Hoje, será titular na Copa do Brasil" [He nearly quit after being released by São Paulo and Grêmio. Today, he will be the starter in the Copa do Brasil] (in Brazilian Portuguese). ESPN Brasil. 2 March 2017. Retrieved 31 January 2019.
7. "Paulistão: Lateral Emerson agradece Eduardo Baptista pela oportunidade na Ponte Preta" [Paulistão: Emerson thanks Eduardo Baptista for the opportunity at Ponte Preta] (in Brazilian Portuguese). Futebol Interior. 12 January 2018. Retrieved 31 January 2019.
8. "Golaço de Emerson contra o Mirassol dá o quarto título do Interior para a Ponte Preta" [Emerson's great goal against Mirassol gives the fourth title of the Countryside to Ponte Preta] (in Brazilian Portuguese). Globo Esporte. 2 April 2018. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
9. "Lateral-direito Emerson comemora chegada ao Atlético" [Right-back Emerson celebrates arrival at Atlético] (in Brazilian Portuguese). Clube Atlético Mineiro. 27 April 2018. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
10. "Emerson no Atlético-MG, Danilo Barcelos na Ponte: clubes oficializam acordo" [Emerson at Atlético-MG, Danilo Barcelos at Ponte: clubs made deal official] (in Brazilian Portuguese). Globo Esporte. 14 April 2018. Retrieved 15 April 2018.
11. "Emerson projeta evolução e busca fugir das sombras de Marcos Rocha e Patric" [Emerson plans on development and seeks to move away from the shadows of Marcos Rocha and Patric] (in Brazilian Portuguese). Globo Esporte. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
12. "Atlético acerta transferência de Emerson" [Atlético complete transfer of Emerson] (in Brazilian Portuguese). Clube Atlético Mineiro. 31 January 2019. Retrieved 31 January 2019.
13. "All the details from the 'Emerson Operation' between Real Betis and Barcelona". 23 January 2019. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
14. "El Real Betis incorpora al lateral brasileño Emerson" [Real Betis sign Brazilian full back Emerson] (in Spanish). Real Betis. 31 January 2019. Retrieved 31 January 2019.
15. "FC Barcelona sign Emerson". FC Barcelona . 2 June 2021. Retrieved 2 June 2021.
16. "Emerson Royal: Barcelona sign Brazil defender from Real Betis". BBC. 31 August 2021.
17. "Emerson Royal: Tottenham sign Barcelona defender but Serge Aurier leaves". BBC Sport. 31 August 2021. Retrieved 11 September 2021.
18. Sutcliffe, Steve (11 September 2021). "Crystal Palace 3 – 0 Tottenham". BBC Sport. Retrieved 11 September 2021.
19. "Tottenham Hotspur 5–1 Newcastle United". Premier League. 3 April 2022.
20. "Emerson Royal shown straight red card for disgusting challenge on Martinelli that left Arsenal furious". Goal.com. 1 October 2022.
21. "Spurs defender Emerson to undergo knee surgery". Reuters. 28 March 2023. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
22. Guest, Rob (21 January 2024). "Shock Emerson transfer bid hands Lange and Postecoglou Tottenham no-brainer". Football London. Retrieved 23 January 2024.
23. "Official Statement: Emerson Royal". AC Milan. 12 August 2024. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
24. "Seleção Sub-20 convocada para o Torneio de Toulon" [Under-20 national team called up for the Toulon Tournament] (in Brazilian Portuguese). Confederação Brasileira de Futebol. 11 May 2017. Retrieved 1 June 2017.
25. "Brazil end five-game winless run by beating South korea". BBC Sport. 19 November 2019. Retrieved 19 November 2019.
26. "Araujo and Emerson, called up for the Copa America". FC Barcelona . 11 June 2021. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
27. "Argentina beat Brazil at the Maracanã to win the CONMEBOL Copa America". www.copaamerica.com. 10 July 2021. Archived from the original on 15 July 2021. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
28. Emerson at Soccerway. Retrieved 1 June 2017.
29. "Emerson Royal". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
30. "Festival International Espoirs Football Tournoi Maurice Revello Toulon". festival-foot-espoirs.com.
31. "Argentina vs. Brazil - Football Match Summary - July 10, 2021". ESPN.
32. "Maurice Revello Tournament 2019 Best XI". Maurice Revello Tournament. 17 June 2019. Retrieved 23 April 2021.

External links

• Profile at the AC Milan website
• Emerson Royal – UEFA competition record ( archive )