Early days Emerson Sheik was born in
Nova Iguaçu and made his senior debut for
São Paulo FC in 1998.
Japan and Qatar In 2000, Emerson Sheik joined
Consadole Sapporo in the Japanese second division, for whom he scored 31 goals in 34 games during the
2000 season. After the season, he joined another second division club,
Kawasaki Frontale, where he continued his impressive goalscoring record, netting 19 times in 18 league games. Midway through the
2001 season, however, he left to join the
Urawa Red Diamonds, for whom he yet again excelled, scoring 71 league goals in 100 appearances.
Al-Sadd bought Emerson for US$8 million in 2005 and paired him with Ecuadorian
Carlos Tenorio.
Rennes and return to Al-Sadd On 25 August 2007, Emerson Sheik signed a three-year contract with French side
Rennes. However, he could not break into the first team. Meanwhile, Al-Sadd were going through a lean phase. They had many bad results and were 14 points behind unbeaten leaders
Al Ahli by the end of 2007. In addition, their new import
Mauro Zárate did not link up well with Carlos Tenorio up front. On 19 December, Al-Sadd announced Emerson's return to fulfill fans' demands.
Flamengo On 1 February 2009, Emerson Sheik signed a season-long deal with
Flamengo after leaving Al-Sadd as a free agent. He formed a fearsome strike partnership with
Adriano, helping the
Mengão win the
2009 Brasileirão Série A after a relatively bad start. Club legend
Andrade praised both players' performances.
Al Ain On 24 July 2009, he signed a two-year deal with Emirati side
Al Ain. He was presented to the press on 6 September 2009 and was handed the number 8 shirt.
Fluminense On 19 July 2010, Emerson signed for Fluminense. On 5 December 2010, Emerson scored the winning goal for Fluminense to conquer the Brasileirão Série A title, making him a Brazilian champion for two years in a row.
Corinthians in the
2012 FIFA Club World Cup Final On 11 April 2011, Emerson Sheik signed for
Corinthians. On 4 December 2011, he won his third Brazilian championship in a row with the Timão, 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
2012 FIFA Club World Cup, 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 the Englishman claimed Emerson fouled him first before diving. In an interview for
Esporte Espetacular, an attraction of
Rede Globo, Emerson showed his dislike for
Mano Menezes, coach of the club. Emerson Sheik told reporters: "I do not wanna work with him [Mano] anymore." Still, according to the former
Corinthiano: "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 the humility to ask something." Emerson Sheik 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 31 July of the same year. He was released on 12 June, after both sides reached an agreement on the matter.
Botafogo In February 2014, he was loaned to Botafogo, his third club in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He took the shirt number seven, used before by Botafogo's biggest idol,
Garrincha. ==International career==