Emerson Palmieri was born on 3 August 1994 in Santos, Brazil. He began his career with his hometown team, then at the age of 20 he arrived in Italy to play in the Palermo shirt, making his Serie A debut on 24 September 2014 in Napoli vs. Palermo 3-3 draw. The following year he moved to Roma where he stayed for two and a half seasons before flying to England to play for Chelsea. With the Blues, he won an FA Cup (2018), a Europa League (2019) and the 2020/21 Champions League.

Of Italian descent on his mother's side, his story in the National Team began with Gian Piero Ventura, who called him up in April 2017. His debut for the Azzurri came under Roberto Mancini, on 10 September 2018 in Lisbon, in the Nations League match against Portugal. Since then he has made 19 appearances, including four at EURO 2020, where he was crowned European Champion in the final against England at Wembley on 11 July 2021.