Manuel Ugarte was born on 11 April 2001 in Montevideo, Uruguay. He came through the youth ranks at Fénix, where he made his professional debut in December 2016 at just 15 years old — becoming the youngest player in the 21st century to appear professionally in Uruguayan football. After impressing in his home country, he moved to Portugal in late 2020, joining Famalicão before earning a transfer to Sporting CP in August 2021.
At Sporting, Ugarte developed rapidly under manager Ruben Amorim, winning the Taça da Liga in 2021–22 and earning a place in the Primeira Liga Team of the Year in 2022–23. His performances attracted attention across Europe, and in July 2023 he joined Paris Saint-Germain for a reported €60 million fee. He made a strong start at PSG, leading Ligue 1 in ball recoveries in the opening weeks of the season, and collected a domestic treble before signing for Manchester United in August 2024 for around €50 million.
A combative defensive midfielder, Ugarte is known for his well-timed tackles, high ball-recovery rate, and disciplined positional play. Manchester United brought him in as a key presence in central midfield, and he has already contributed important goals — including an equaliser against Everton in February 2025 and the opening goal in the Europa League quarter-final against Lyon.
For Uruguay, Ugarte made his senior debut in September 2021 and has gone on to earn over 30 caps. He was named in the Team of the Tournament at the 2024 Copa América.