Emerson da Conceição (born 23 February 1986), known as Emerson, is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as a left back.
In January 2007, aged only 20, São Paulo-born Emerson left his country and moved to Lille OSC in France. He appeared in only two Ligue 1 games in his first season, his debut coming on 8 April in a 1âÂÂ4 away loss against Olympique de Marseille.
Emerson became first-choice from the 2008âÂÂ09 campaign onwards, and contributed with 20 league matches in 2010âÂÂ11 as Les Dogues won their first national championship in 57 years. He also helped the team win the Coupe de France, but remained on the bench during the final against Paris Saint-Germain FC.
In late July 2011, Emerson signed for Portuguese club S.L. Benfica, for an undisclosed fee. In his first and only season, he beat competition from World and European champion Joan Capdevila.
On 3 September 2012, Emerson joined Trabzonspor in Turkey for â¬1.6 million. One year later he signed for Stade Rennais F.C. in the French top flight, returning to his homeland in 2014 with Clube Atlético Mineiro.