Rômulo Souza Orestes Caldeira, better known as Rômulo, was born in Pelotas, Brazil, on May 22, 1987.
After having played a few seasons in the Brazilian minor leagues, in 2009 he signed for Santo André in the first tier. The year after he was at Cruzeiro and played a few games for Atlético Paranaense on loan.
In June 2011 he signed for Fiorentina. He made 34 appearances in two years in Florence before moving to Verona in 2013. An exceptional year for him with 33 league games and six goals. Having dual Italian-Brazilian nationality he was called up for the Brazil World Cup to play for Italy. He made it to the final 23, but then backed out since he was not 100% and thought that somebody else might be fitter. He has never been called again since.
In the summer of 2014, he was loaned to Juventus with an option to buy. But it was a year full of injuries and he played very little, just 5 games. In 2015 he returned to Verona where he stayed another three years. The first in Serie A, with most of the season out due to injury, and a second in Serie B, with promotion. His third year saw Verona relegated again and he did not renew his contract.
In 2018 he signed for Genoa. After six months, he was loaned to Lazio with an option to buy. He immediately fitted in, loved the city, the club and his teammates. It was as if he had always been part of Lazio. He made 13 appearances, two in the victorious Coppa Italia campaign. Lazio beat Atalanta 2-0 at the Olimpico and even though he did not play in the final he was one of the protagonists in the semis against Milan.
Much to almost everyone's surprise, Lazio did not apply the option to buy and he went back to Genoa. In September he signed for Brescia for one year, at the end of which, not having reached an agreement with the club, he became a free agent.
In March 2021 he signed for Cruzeiro making 46 appearances until January 2023. His contract was not renewed. In 2024 he signed for Athletic Club SAF in the Brasilian fourth tier.
Rômulo is a very eclectic player. He can play on the right or left wing, defence, midfield and even further forward. It was a pity he did not stay on at Lazio, but since then he has become a fan and often posts on social media reminiscing about his days in Rome.
Lazio career
Season | Played | Serie A | Coppa Italia | Europa League |
2018-19 | 13 | 10 | 2 | 1 |
Sources
Comments