Emerson Galego

Emerson Mendes de Carvalho (born 10 August 1999), known as Emerson Galego or just Galego, is a Brazilian footballer who plays as a forward for Juventude. He was the top scorer of the Campeonato Pernambucano in 2023 with 6 goals for Petrolina, and the Campeonato Gaúcho in 2025 with 8 goals for Ypiranga-RS.

Career Born in Casa Nova, Bahia, Galego played in the Campeonato Pernambucano Série A2 for 1º de Maio in 2019. With Petrolina in 2023, he was the top scorer of the Campeonato Pernambucano with 6 goals in 13 games; his exploits helped the club to the semi-finals for the first time, in addition to first-ever qualifications to the Copa do Brasil and the Campeonato Brasileiro Série D.

In the second half of 2023, Galego took part in Série D with Santa Cruz of Recife, scoring four goals. The following 28 February, back at Petrolina in the first round of the national cup, he scored the final goal of a 3–2 home win over Cascavel, earning his club R$945,000.

In July 2024, Galego joined ABC for the remainder of the Campeonato Brasileiro Série C season. He moved again in October to Ypiranga, to play in the Copa FGF in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, and renewed his contract at the end of the year. In the Campeonato Gaúcho at the start of 2025, he was the top scorer with 8 goals over 12 games, including one in the second leg of the 4–1 aggregate win over São Luiz for the Taça Farroupilha, earning his team a place in the next year's Copa do Brasil.

At the end of March 2025, 25-year-old Galego joined a Campeonato Brasileiro Série A side for the first time, signing a three-year deal at Juventude. The buying club acquired 40% of his economic rights.