The Blues full-back is preparing for the game of his life but he needed encouragement to keep going on a path that wasn't so straightforward
It took a mother's love to help Emerson Palmieri achieve his dream of becoming a professional footballer as he couldn't even contemplate playing in a Europa League final for Chelsea as a boy in Brazil.
Santos-born Emerson is the son of dock worker Reginaldo, who worked 10-hour days to earn enough to keep the family out of the country's infamous favelas, while his mother looked after both her sons who dreamed of footballing futures.