Manuel Ugarte (footballer)

Manuel Ugarte Ribeiro (born 11 April 2001) is a Uruguayan professional footballer who plays primarily as a defensive midfielder for Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain and the Uruguay national team.

Ugarte came through Fénix's youth academy, being promoted to the first-team in 2016. In December 2021, he joined Portuguese Primeira Liga side Famalicão. Following an impressive half-season, Ugarte signed for fellow Primeira Liga side Sporting CP, winning the Taça da Liga in his time with the club. In July 2023, he joined Paris Saint-Germain for a transfer worth €60 million.

Ugarte is a former youth international for Uruguay, representing his country at various youth levels, being part of the team that finished in third place in the 2020 CONMEBOL Pre-Olympic Tournament. He made his senior international debut in 2021.

Fénix
Born in Montevideo, Ugarte started his football career in the youth ranks of local club City Park, before joining Fénix's youth setup, being promoted to the first-team at the age of 15 by manager Rosario Martínez. Shortly after, he was included in the 30-man to compete in the 2016 Copa Sudamericana.

Ugarte made his professional debut on 4 December 2016, replacing Agustín Canobbio in the 83rd minute in a 4–1 league win against Danubio. By doing so, he became the youngest ever player in the 21st century to play professionally in Uruguay (aged 15 years and 233 days). Initially Ugarte played as a striker, before being converted to a midfielder.

Under Juan Ramón Carrasco, Ugarte was entrusted to play more regularly, being named club captain aged 18 and scoring his first goal on 10 March 2019 in a 2–0 win against Racing Club, as he went on to make 14 appearances in the Uruguayan Primera División. On 29 October 2020, Ugarte assisted Luciano Nequecaur goal in the albivioletas 3–1 over Huachipato in the first leg of the 2020 Copa Sudamericana. Overall, he made 57 appearances for the club and scored one goal.

Famalicão
On 29 December 2020, Ugarte signed a five-year contract with Portuguese club Famalicão for a fee of €3 million for 80% of his economic rights. He made his Primeira Liga debut on 17 January 2021, playing the entire 2–0 victory at Santa Clara. On 21 February, he scored his first goal for the club in a 1–0 victory over Rio Ave. Despite initially not being a starter, Ugarte eventually earned a place in the team under manager Ivo Vieira, as his versatility enabled him to play in various positions in midfield, which was found useful by his coach, as Famalicão narrowly missed on European qualification to the Europa Conference League.

Sporting CP
On 9 August 2021, Ugarte signed a five-year contract with Sporting CP of the same league, for a fee of €6.5 million for half of his economic rights. On 14 August, he made his debut for the club, replacing João Palhinha in the 92nd minute in a 2–1 away win against Braga in the Primeira Liga. Ugarte scored his first goal for Sporting on 2 January 2022, opening the 2–1 home victory over his former club Famalicão. Initially signed as back-up to João Palhinha, following the latter's injury, Ugarte began having a run as starter, with manager Rúben Amorim entrusting him Palhinha's place on 3 December in the 3–1 away victory against rivals Benfica in the Derby de Lisboa. His impressive performances and quick adaptation to the team earned him praise from his manager, as he began to play more regularly and threaten Palhinha's starting position. In the 2022–23 UEFA Champions League group stage, Ugarte had the most tackles and interceptions combined at 34, including 12 tackles in a 3–0 away win against Eintracht Frankfurt.

Paris Saint-Germain
On 15 June 2023, in an interview with Portuguese newspaper Record, Ugarte confirmed that he would be joining Ligue 1 side Paris Saint-Germain. On 7 July 2023, PSG officially announced that he had joined the club on a five-year contract until 30 June 2028. The transfer fee was reported to be €60 million, with PSG triggering Ugarte's release clause. He made his debut in a 0–0 draw against Lorient at the Parc des Princes on 12 August.

In August 2023, Ugarte was one of three nominees for the UNFP Player of the Month award. In his first four Ligue 1 matches, he registered 41 ball recoveries, the most in the league. The only player bettering Ugarte's statistic after the first four Ligue 1 matches of the season since the 2006–07 season was former PSG midfielder Thiago Motta with 47 ball recoveries. For his performances in August and September, Ugarte was described as a "revelation" of PSG's early season by Le Parisien and L'Équipe. However, after the first two months of the season, Ugarte progressively lost his place as a starter. It was reported in the media that manager Luis Enrique deemed that he did not correspond to his style of play. Ugarte would make frequent appearances as a substitute for the rest of the season, amid occasional starts. PSG went on to complete a domestic treble by winning Ligue 1, the Coupe de France, and the Trophée des Champions.

Youth
Ugarte represented Uruguay at under-20 level, for a total of 5 caps. On 29 December 2019, Uruguay under-23 team head coach Gustavo Ferreyra named Ugarte in 23-man final squad for 2020 CONMEBOL Pre-Olympic Tournament. In this competition, he played seven out of nine matches, scoring in a 1–1 draw against Brazil in the final stage that helped Uruguay to finish third place.

Senior
On 5 March 2021, Ugarte was named in Uruguay senior team's 35-man preliminary squad for 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches against Argentina and Bolivia. However, CONMEBOL suspended those matches next day amid concern over the COVID-19 pandemic. He made his senior team debut on 5 September 2021, by coming on as a 70th-minute substitute for Matías Vecino in a 4–2 win against Bolivia.

Honours
Sporting CP
 * Taça da Liga: 2021–22

Paris Saint-Germain
 * Ligue 1: 2023–24
 * Coupe de France: 2023–24
 * Trophée des Champions: 2023

Uruguay
 * Copa América third place: 2024

Individual
 * Uruguayan Primera División Team of the Year: 2019
 * Primeira Liga Team of the Year: 2022–23