It was at this stage that Ugarte’s progress went into overdrive. Just eight months after arriving in Portugal, he was snapped up by Sporting Lisbon, who were resurgent under the new management of Ruben Amorin, and the midfielder picked up the first winner’s medal of his career within six months, lifting the Portuguese League Cup. While initially competing for involvement with Joao Palhinha and Matheus Nunes, Manuel soon began to impose himself on Amorin’s setup.
“The thing which has really impressed me is that he’s a really good learner,” says Kundert. “It’s been very visible in his career so far. He was an interesting player to start with, but then he just got better and better while he was at Famalicao, then Sporting. He was only at both clubs for a short space of time but really improved so much at each. He’s someone who really works hard on his game and always tries to get better.
“He really became a complete no.6 at Sporting. He’s not going to be playing the same kind of passes as Bruno Fernandes, but he’ll win the ball a lot and give really good protection in front of the defence. He is good technically, a good passer, but he keeps it simple, keeps the ball rolling. He’s one of those players who makes those around him better, rather than really standing out himself. He made himself really popular straight away at Sporting because he was a 100 per cent player from day one. It’s a cliché, but the South American defensive players look like they’re willing to die on the field for their team, and he’s absolutely that sort of player. He’ll give everything in every game.
That commitment to the cause soon prompted the next step in Manuel’s career, as perennial Ligue 1 winners PSG came calling in the summer of 2023. Although he was a star turn in the opening months of the campaign, so total was the dominance of Luis Enrique’s team that the Spaniard soon decided that his side didn’t need a ferocious, ball-winning presence in central midfield. PSG ended the campaign with a domestic treble and, even though he had started fewer games as the season progressed, Ugarte still featured towards the very top of charts for ball recoveries and tackles across Europe’s top-five leagues during his solitary season in France.
