Rômulo José Cardoso da Cruz

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 club RB Leipzig.

Club career Athletico Paranaense

Born in Marialva, Paraná, Rômulo joined Athletico Paranaense's youth setup in 2018, on loan from Maringá. In July 2019, he was bought outright by the club.

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. 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.

Göztepe On 7 February 2024, Rômulo joined Göztepe in Turkey on loan with an option to buy.

On 11 February 2024, he made his professional debut with Göztepe in a TFF 1. Lig match against Bandırmaspor, he played 27 minutes in a 0–2 Göztepe victory where he scored one goal and made one assist. On 17 August 2024, he made his first Süper Lig goal with the team in a match against Fenerbahçe as a late equalizer 90+5 goal, in a 2–2 draw.

On 24 January 2025, Göztepe announced that they exercised their option to buy and signed a permanent contract with Rômulo until 2028.

RB Leipzig On 15 August 2025, Rômulo signed a five-year contract with German club RB Leipzig. Later that month, on 30 August, he netted his first goal in a 2–0 win over Heidenheim.

Career statistics

Honours Athletico Paranaense Copa Sudamericana: 2021 Campeonato Paranaense: 2023