Paris Saint-Germain had to spend up to 60 million euros to acquire defensive midfielder Manuel Ugarte from Sporting Lisbon. The Uruguayan player became the sixth most expensive signing in the history of Les Parisiens.
In the past, only Neymar (€222 million), Kylian Mbappe (€180 million), Achraf Hakimi (€68 million), Edinson Cavani (€64.5 million), and Angel Di Maria (€63 million) had higher transfer fees than Manuel Ugarte. At Parc des Princes, the Uruguayan national team player will receive a net salary of 3 million euros per season.
At the age of 22, Ugarte is valued at 60 million euros. Without saying it explicitly, everyone understands the high expectations surrounding Manuel Ugarte, especially as Paris Saint-Germain undergoes a major overhaul under the new head coach Luis Enrique, with a crucial task of upgrading the midfield. So, what makes Ugarte so special that the French capital club is enamored with him?
Before joining Sporting Lisbon in August 2021, Manuel Ugarte had previously played for Famalicao in the 2020/21 season and quickly emerged as one of the top defensive midfielders in the Primeira Liga. This season, despite Sporting Lisbon finishing in fourth place in the Portuguese top-flight, Ugarte had impressive performances.
OFFICIAL: PSG announces the signing of 6 new players Top 10 record sales of Sporting Lisbon: Ronaldo not included; Number 1 worthy The Uruguayan national team player appeared in a total of 31 matches (28 starts), with a total of 2,368 minutes played. In every 90 minutes, he executed 0.6 shots, touched the ball 67.6 times, made 46.7 passes (92% accuracy), created 0.5 key passes, had 1.3 successful dribbles (63%), 3.9 tackles, 1.8 interceptions, 1.8 recoveries, won 6.9 duels, and successfully contested 0.6 aerial duels.
Especially, Ugarte's passing, dribbling, tackling, intercepting, and ball recovery statistics were among the highest in the Primeira Liga. Under coach Ruben Amorim, Sporting often operated with a 3-4-3 system, with Ugarte frequently partnering in central midfield with Pote (or Hidemasa Morita).
- Football Manuel belongs to the modern defensive midfielder type. In theory, Manuel Ugarte is a defensive midfielder. However, he does not fit the classical type that only focuses on marking and supporting the defense. On the contrary, he moves very flexibly, covering the central area effectively and excels in orchestrating the game. His precise passing skills, whether short or long passes, always ensure accuracy and have a high impact.
It is worth noting that coach Luis Enrique highly favors modern defensive midfielders who can control the central area, much like how Sergio Busquets operated during his time at Barcelona. With the qualities mentioned above, Ugarte is fully capable of meeting the requirements set by the Spanish master.
Manuel Ugarte is expected to form a strong backbone alongside Marco Verratti for Les Parisiens in their journey to conquer major titles in the upcoming season, especially the dream of winning the Champions League.
