Being played in your position, the one you were originally bought to play...well, that helps too. As does not swapping managers every fortnight. Or having players next to you who give a shit about the club that pays them ridiculous wages (with fans' hard-earned dosh).
Whether he had a good or bad game, Emerson always gave his absolute all. And that ain't easy when you got so many at the ground and on fucking social media giving you toxic shit.
The lad has unreal character, that's impossible to deny him that. Put him in the right environment and see how he does.
You don't win trophies with just Messis and Zidanes. You need Puyols and Makeleles. Go back through history, ask the elite players if they'd have achieved what they did without the water-carriers.
And before you get all excitable, I'm not putting Emerson in the same league as the great Carles and Claude, just making a point