Rômulo Cardoso
Brazilian footballer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Rômulo José Cardoso da Cruz (born 8 February 2002), known as Rômulo Cardoso or just Rômulo, is a Brazilian footballer who plays as a forward for Bundesliga club RB Leipzig.
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Rômulo with Athletico Paranaense in 2022 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Rômulo José Cardoso da Cruz | ||
| Date of birth | 8 February 2002 | ||
| Place of birth | Marialva, Brazil | ||
| Height | 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) | ||
| Position | Forward | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | RB Leipzig | ||
| Number | 40 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Maringá | |||
| 2018–2019 | → Athletico Paranaense (loan) | ||
| 2019–2021 | Athletico Paranaense | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2021–2025 | Athletico Paranaense | 63 | (7) |
| 2024–2025 | → Göztepe (loan) | 29 | (14) |
| 2025 | Göztepe | 13 | (4) |
| 2025– | RB Leipzig | 27 | (9) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 24 April 2026 | |||
Club career
Athletico Paranaense
Born in Marialva, Paraná, Rômulo joined Athletico Paranaense's youth setup in 2018, on loan from Maringá.[1] In July 2019, he was bought outright by the club.[2]
Rômulo made his first team – and Série A – debut on 16 November 2021, coming on as a second-half substitute for Pedro Rocha in a 0–1 home loss against Atlético Mineiro.[3] He scored his first senior goal on 23 January 2022, netting a last-minute winner in a 1–0 Campeonato Paranaense home win over Paraná.
On 19 February 2022, Rômulo scored a hat-trick in a 5–1 home win over Cianorte.[4]
Göztepe
On 7 February 2024, Rômulo joined Göztepe in Turkey on loan with an option to buy.[5]
On 10 August 2024, he made his professional debut with Göztepe in a Süper Lig match against Antalyaspor, he played 90 minutes in a ie 0–0 tie. On 17 August 2024, he made his first goal with the team in a Süper Lig match against Fenerbahçe as a late equalizer 90+5 goal, in a 2–2 draw.[6]
On 24 January 2025, Göztepe announced that they exercised their option to buy and signed a permanent contract with Rômulo until 2028.[7]
RB Leipzig
On 15 August 2025, Rômulo signed a five-year contract with German club RB Leipzig.[8] Later that month, on 30 August, he netted his first goal in a 2–0 win over Heidenheim.[9]
Career statistics
- As of match played 24 April 2026[10]
| Club | Season | League | State league[a] | National cup[b] | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Athletico Paranaense | 2021 | Série A | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | |
| 2022 | Série A | 26 | 1 | 12 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 9[c] | 1 | 2[d] | 0 | 51 | 9 | |
| 2023 | Série A | 18 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4[c] | 1 | — | 28 | 1 | ||
| 2024 | Série A | — | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | |||||
| Total | 45 | 1 | 18 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 13 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 81 | 10 | ||
| Göztepe (loan) | 2023–24 | TFF 1. Lig | 13 | 5 | — | — | — | — | 13 | 5 | ||||
| Göztepe | 2024–25 | Süper Lig | 29 | 13 | — | 4 | 4 | — | — | 33 | 17 | |||
| Total | 42 | 18 | — | 4 | 4 | — | — | 46 | 22 | |||||
| RB Leipzig | 2025–26 | Bundesliga | 27 | 9 | — | 2 | 0 | — | — | 29 | 9 | |||
| Career total | 114 | 28 | 18 | 6 | 9 | 5 | 13 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 156 | 41 | ||
- Includes Campeonato Paranaense
- Includes Copa do Brasil, Turkish Cup
- Appearances in Copa Libertadores
- Appearances in Recopa Sudamericana
Honours
Athletico Paranaense