An Italian citizen through ancestry, Rômulo was first called up by Italy national football team coach Cesare Prandelli in April 2014 for a stage, due to his impressive performances with Verona. On 13 May 2014, Rômulo's name was included in a provisional 30-man squad for the upcoming 2014 FIFA World Cup, but on 1 June 2014, he was omitted from the final 23-man squad for the tournament on 1 June; Rômulo later stated on 2 June that although he had originally been included in Prandelli's final 23-man squad, he turned down the call-up, as he felt he felt he was not quite 100% in terms of his physical condition, and therefore preferred to offer his spot in the team to other players who were in better shape than him.
