Manuel Zuliani, born on April 26, 2000, is an Italian professional rugby union player who primarily plays as a flanker for Benetton in the United Rugby Championship.
Zuliani's professional career started when he was selected for the F.I.R. Academy. He represented Calvisano as an Additional Player in the 2019-20 European Rugby Challenge Cup. Following that, he joined Mogliano and served as a Permit Player for Benetton during the latter part of the 2019-20 Pro14 season and the entire 2020-21 Pro14 season.
He has also been involved with the Italy Under 20 squad. Zuliani was named in the squad for the 2019 and 2020 Six Nations Under 20s Championships.
On January 13, 2022, Zuliani was selected by coach Kieran Crowley to be part of the Italy 33-man squad for the 2022 Six Nations Championship. He made his international debut against France in the tournament.
Born in Castelfranco Veneto, Zuliani initially honed his rugby skills at the Rugby Country nursery. He captained the Benetton Rugby Under 18 team in 2018 before progressing to the Ivan Francescato National Academy development school.
Zuliani made an impression as a permit player for Benetton, earning 15 appearances in competitions like PRO14 and the Challenge Cup. He also represented Italy Under 20 in the Six Nations tournaments of 2019 and 2020, making three appearances and scoring one goal.
In May 2021, Zuliani signed a new first-team contract with Benetton, extending his stay with the club until 2023.
Ahead of the Rugby World Cup 2023, Zuliani has been named in the squad for Italy.
KG(24/06/2023)
Career
 |
Benetton Rugby Openside Flanker |
2020 - present |
 |
Italy Openside Flanker |
2022 - present |
 |
Italy U20's Openside Flanker |
2020 - 2020 |
