Emerson Royal

Emerson Royal came through Ponte Preta's academy before breaking into the first team, where a spell of 19 appearances and a goal was enough to earn a move to Atlético Mineiro. From there the path led to Europe: a loan to Real Betis, then a joint deal that took him to Barcelona, who later paid Betis outright to secure his full registration. Tottenham Hotspur paid £25.8 million for him in 2021, a fee that placed him among the more expensive full-backs to leave Spain's top flight that summer.

At international level, Emerson Royal was part of the Brazil squad that finished runner-up at the 2021 Copa América, and two years earlier he had been named in the team of the tournament after Brazil's under-23 side won the Toulon Tournament. He has earned 10 caps for the senior national side.

After a run at Tottenham, he moved to Milan in 2024, where he added a Supercoppa Italiana to his collection. His return to Brazilian football came in July 2025, when Flamengo paid around 58 million reais to bring him to Rio de Janeiro. The transfer paid off quickly: within his first year at the club he won the Copa Libertadores, the Brazilian championship, the FIFA Challenger Cup and the FIFA Derby of the Americas.

Now wearing the number 22 shirt at Flamengo, Emerson Royal arrives with a resume built across four countries and some of the biggest clubs in Europe, giving the Rio de Janeiro side a defender who has already won titles at the highest level of the club game.