If Emerson Palmieri expected to be eased in at Marseille, Roberto de Zerbi clearly had something different in mind. The former West Ham United fan favourite thrown in at the deepest of deep ends away to Real Madrid in the Champions League.
Santiago Bernabeu on a European night.
Is there a more daunting place to make your first start for a new club? And that is before you cast your eyes over a team sheet stacked with talent, like a treasure box overflowing with rubies and emeralds.
Emerson Palmieri started at left-back away to the 15-time European champions. And when he wasn’t staring into the whites of Franco Mastantuono’s eyes – the so-called ‘new Lionel Messi’ who has made a flying start to life in Madrid – the one-time West Ham United defender saw Rodrygo and the one-man cannonball that is Kylian Mbappe drifting into his orbit.
With all things considered – this was Emerson’s first start in any fixture since the beginning of May against Tottenham Hotspur – the Brazil-born Italy international held his own pretty impressively.
The ever-spiky Roberto de Zerbi suggested pre-match that Emerson would be a back-up option at the French giants. But with Nayef Aguerd’s absence forcing Facundo Medina to switch over from left-back to centre-half – Emerson’s former Hammers teammate was ruled out due to a concussion – De Zerbi found himself relying upon a 31-year-old ousted by Ollie Scarles at West Ham, and who had not played a single minute in pre-season.
If he was worried, he needn’t have been.
Emerson Palmieri Marseille’s ‘best player’ as West Ham United favourite impresses at Real Madrid
Former L’OM star and one-time Chelsea captain Cesar Azpilicueta felt Emerson would be an inspired addition to the Marseille ranks, partly due to his ‘top-level’ experience and his penchant for stepping up on the biggest of occasions.
There was no trophy on the line at the Bernabeu – Emerson was a Europa League winner at Chelsea and arguably West Ham’s standout performer in the 2023 Conference League final – but a reported transfer fee of just £600,000 could soon feature among the continent’s best summer deals if his Marseille debut is anything to go by.
The Made in Marsaillais website handed Emerson a match rating of 7/10 after a valiant Marseille were beaten by a pair of Kylian Mbappe penalties. Coeur Marsaillais, while also handing Emerson a seven, wrote; ‘After a difficult start to the match, Emerson showed that he can do great things’.
Le Quotidien du Sport went even further. ‘Emerson Palmieri [was] perhaps the best Marseille player on the pitch. On his first start, he lost almost no duels’.
His standout moment, meanwhile, was a heroic last-ditch clearance to deny Eder Militao a back-post tap-in when the score was still 1-1.
And while finding himself on the wrong end of a Real Madrid comeback will have soured Emerson’s night to an extent, it’s fair to say he is not the first – nor the last – to suffer such a fate in the Champions League.
Europa Conference League winner was sad to leave West Ham
While Aguerd kept his exit statement short and not-especially sweet – the Moroccan reportedly refused to feature against Nottingham Forest before making a deadline day exit – Emerson’s own farewell was testament to how fondly he will look back on his time in East London.
“Hammers, my time playing for you has come to an end,” an emotional Emerson said. “But this is only on the pitch, because I will always be following and supporting you with all my heart.
“I’m really happy with what we have achieved together. Since the first day, I felt at home. And today I’m leaving the club with only one feeling: gratitude.
“Gratitude to all of you – the massive supporters, my teammates, and the staff. I will remember you in the best way possible especially the day we won the Conference League together in Prague. That trophy will always have a special place in my heart.
“In football, as in life, respect and honesty are worth more than any position or title. But time always tells the truth.
“Big hugs, Emerson.”
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