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EMERSON MOISÉS COSTA
Date of Birth: 12 April, 1972
Nationality: Brazil/Portugal
Period at Deportivo: 2000 - 2002
Transfer: 1.500 million pesetas (ca. €9,6 million) (2000, Tenerife)
Clubs: Glasgow Rangers (2003-2004), Atlético de Madrid (2002-2003), Deportivo (2000-2002), Tenerife (1998-2000), Middlesbrough (1996-1998), FC Porto (1994-1996), Belenenses (1992-1994)
Sold: €6,5 milion + Jesús Muñoz (2002, to Atlético de Madrid)
Height: 183 cm
Weight: 77 kg
Position: Midfielder (central)
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 When in 2000 Deportivo qualified for the first time in their history for playing Champions League football, president Lendoiro knew that his team needed a quality and quantity boost to keep up the performances during the next campaign. One of the players added to the squad that summer was midfielder EMERSON, who would provide the Galician team with a lot of midfield strength during the next two seasons.
The player started his career in Portugal, and was 20-years old when he debuted at Belenenses. He spent two seasons at the club, before in 1994 he moved to giants FC Porto. With them he won two consecutive Liga titles, and his appearances caught the attention of ambitious Middlesbrough. The team from the North-Eastern part of England convinced him to join them, and so he did in 1996.
Emerson made his debut for his new team on 17 August, 1996 in a 3-3 draw at home to Liverpool. He would spent one-and-a-half season at Middlesbrough, played a total of fifty-three league matches for them and scored nine goals in these. At the end of his first season at the club, Middlesbrough qualified for the FA Cup final for the first time in their 121 years of history. Their opponents in May, 1997 were Gullit's Chelsea.
But Emerson's club already had spoiled the season by getting relegated, despite the millions which where invested in the years before. Coach Bryan Robson was permitted to spent about £30 million, and in two seasons had acquired Branco, Juninho, Emerson and Ravanelli. In January, 1997 they were joined by Gianluca Festa. But Branco was already allowed to leave in November, while Emerson's wife became home-sick and he the Emerson left the city. But he had to return, got fined and the supporters soon labelled him the most disappointing signing of the season.
During his second campaign, in the First Division 1997/1998, he was finally released by Middlesbrough and sold to Tenerife. There he made a successful debut on 25 January, 1998 with a 5-1 win against Compostela. Emerson had Jokanovic and Makaay as colleagues, and all players would end up one day at Deportivo. Emerson didn't miss a Liga match since this big win, and was important when the island club avoided relegation. Tenerife took eleven points out of a possible fifteen in the final five matches, and saved their Primera División status.
 But in his second season in Spain things didn't work out as was planned. Despite Roy Makaay's fourteen goals for them, Tenerife didn't escape their faith this time and were relegated in 1999. Emerson played thirty-four matches that campaign and scored two goals, but for the second time in two years experienced relegation. The Brazilian midfielder went down with them, played thirty-five matches in the Segunda División when Deportivo knocked on his door in 2000.
As known, the Galician club had qualified for Champions League football by winning their first title that campaign, and added players like Molina, Valerón, Pandiani and Tristán to their squad. Emerson was acquired to strengthen the midfield, together with César Sampaio and Aldo Duscher. It proved to be an intense fight for a starting place.
Despite the overcrowded squad, it was Emerson who won the battle in midfield against his colleagues and became the partner of Mauro Silva. He made his debut on 9 September, 2000 at home against Bilbao (2-0) and would reach playing twenty-eigth Liga matches that campaign. The defensive midfielder made a great impression, having three opponents sent off because of his running skills (among which Zinedine Zidane) in his first matches. He developed himself into a successor of Flávio Conceiçao and played one of his best matches on 24 February, 2001 against Real Madrid.
His second season, however, was a disappointment as Irureta did not seem to count on him anymore. New signing Sergio González became the partner of Mauro Silva in midfield, and Duscher also would play more then Brazilian-born Emerson. Emerson was neglected, and the reasons for it are still not clear today. The player only reached playing fifteen Liga matches that campaign, of which nine were in the first fifteen matches. But expect three of them, all of his appearances were as a substitute. From an important first team player in his first year, he had become a not much used substitute.
Deportivo signed 'Toro' Acuña in the summer of 2002, and the door was open for Emerson to leave. He choose Atlético de Madrid as his new destination, and would play twenty-nine Liga matches for them. But once again his club would play a rather disappointing season, as Atlético missed out on European football by finishing ninth. In August, 2003 he was sold to Glasgow Rangers but one year later was allowed to leave again. At the age of 32, the Scottish club had been his seventh one as a professional player.
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