Emerson Sheik

Early career

As a promising teenager, Emerson developed in São Paulo FC's youth system. He made his senior side debut in 1998.

Japan

Emerson went to Japan to join Consadole Sapporo of the second division, for whom he scored 31 goals in 34 games during the 2000 season. After the season, he joined another second division team, Kawasaki Frontale, with whom he continued his goal-scoring domination, registering 19 goals in 18 league games. In the middle of the 2001 season, however, he left Frontale to join the first division Urawa Red Diamonds, for whom he has yet again excelled. He scored 71 league goals in 100 appearances for the Reds and won 2003 J. League top scorer and 2004 J. League MVP.

Al-Sadd

Emerson later joined Qatar outfit Al-Sadd with the transfer fee of 8 million US dollars in 2005.

Move to France

On 25 August 2007, Emerson signed a three-year contract with French side Stade Rennais FC.

Return to Al-Sadd

Emerson could not break into the first team at Rennes. Meanwhile, his previous team Al-Sadd were going through a lean phase. They had many bad results and were 14 points behind unbeaten leaders Al-Gharafa by the end of 2007. Their new import Mauro Zarate did not link up nicely with Emerson's ex-striking partner, Carlos Tenorio up front. The fans of Al-Sadd started rooting for the return of Emerson. So Al-Sadd started negotiations with Emerson in December and on 19 December, the club's official website announced Emerson's return.

Flamengo

On 20 March 2009 the former São Paulo FC and Rennes forward has signed a season long deal with childhood favorite Flamengo; the 30-year-old was a free agent after leaving Al-Sadd. He's generally kept a good scoring record for the club, which long sought a competent striker before his arrival. In the Série A 2009 season, his partnership with Adriano has been one of the league's most effective frontlines. Club legend Andrade praised both players' performance.

Al Ain FC

On 5 September 2009 he signed a two-year deal with Al Ain FC. He was presented to the press on 6 September 2009 and was handed a number 8 shirt.

Fluminense

On 16 June 2010, Emerson signed for Fluminense Football Club. On 5 December 2010, Emerson scored the winning goal for Fluminense to conquer the 1st division Brazilian title, making him Brazilian champion two years in a row.

Sport Club Corinthians Paulista

On 18 May 2011, Emerson signed for Sport Club Corinthians Paulista. On 4 December 2011, he won his third Brazilian championship in a row with Corinthians, making him the first player in history to win three straight Brazilian championships with three different teams. On 4 July 2012, Emerson scored two goals in the second match of the 2012 Copa Libertadores Finals, helping Corinthians to win their first Copa Libertadores. On 16 December 2012, he was part of the Corinthians team which won the FIFA World Club Championship, beating Chelsea 1–0. In the last few minutes of the game, he was involved in an off-the-ball incident with Gary Cahill, in which Emerson fell to the ground holding his face. Cahill received a red card, but claims Emerson fouled him first before diving.

In an interview for Esporte Espetacular, an attraction of Rede Globo, Emerson showed some sorrow with Mano Menezes, coach of club. According to Emerson: "I do not wanna work with him [Mano] anymore." Still, according to the former corintiano: "I think he [Mano] is a very limited coach, I did not see anything special in him, and I do not think he will improve, because he does not have humility to ask something."

Emerson returned to Corinthians in 2015 as Tite returned to the club as the new manager. He was a first choice for many of the first games of the season, including the 2015 Copa Libertadores. After Corinthians was eliminated in the Round of 16, the club opted against renegotiating Emerson's contract, due to end in July 31 of the same year. He was released on June 12, after both sides reached an agreement on the matter.

Botafogo

In April 2014, he was loaned to Botafogo, his third club in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He took the shirt number 7, used before by Botafogo's biggest idol, Garrincha.

International career

Emerson played 1999 South American Youth Championship for U-20 Brazil, while he was still known as aged 18 instead of 21. He was offered Qatari citizenship by Al-Sadd so that they could accommodate one more foreign player in their line-up. He accepted and he became a Qatari citizen in 2008. He made his international debut for the Qatar national team on 4 March 2008 in a friendly against Bahrain. He also played the next friendly on 16 March and World Cup qualifying match on 26 March.

In April 2008, it was revealed that Emerson had also played for the Brazil under-20 team which makes him ineligible to play for the Qatari national team. Taking that into consideration, and that he represented Qatar in the World Cup qualifier against Iraq on 26 March, Qatar breached the FIFA rules, and Qatar could have lost the 3 points they gained from the game against Iraq. FIFA confirmed the breach of laws but said that QFA is not responsible for any wrongdoing, and that Emerson has since not played for Qatar. Although FIFA has loosened the nationality transfer of uncapped players and players with multi-nationality, it was not beneficial to Emerson, because he did not hold multi-nationality when representing Brazil.

Controversy

Emerson played for Qatari club Al-Sadd and was detained by the Brazilian federal police on his way back to Qatar on 20 January 2006 for allegedly falsifying a birth certificate to show that he was three years younger than his actual age. The "fake birth certificate", which was used to issue his passport, said that he was born on 6 December 1981 in Nova Iguaçu with the name "Márcio Emerson Passos", but his original shows he was born September 6, 1978, with the name "Márcio Passos de Albuquerque".

Kiss issue

On August 18, 2013, after the 1-0 victory by Corinthians against Coritiba FC in the Brazilian League, Emerson celebrated the alvinegro triumph by kissing his friend and posting the photo on Instagram.

On August 19, one day after the incident, Corinthians club supporters protested against the kiss at Joaquim Grava Training Center where Corinthians were undertaking a training session. Emerson called the protests an "idiotic prejudice".

On August 21, in the first game after the incident, a 1-0 loss against Luverdense in the 2013 Copa do Brasil, Emerson was sent off along with opposition player Zé Roberto after they argued on field. Speaking to the press after the game, Zé Roberto in reference to Emerson, said: "I am not the guy that takes a kiss from anyone, I do not accept this kind of thing."

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