Manuel Ugarte qualified for the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League together with Paris Saint – Germain, which left Barcelona behind after its resounding 4-1 victory at the Lluís Companys Olympic Stadium in Montjuic to overcome an adverse series in which the Catalan team had won the first leg in Paris by 2 to 1.
Manuel Ugarte competing for a ball against Barcelona with PSG Getty Images
The Uruguayan entered in the 79th minute to give air and support to the French team’s midfield, and during his time on the field he had 13 touches of the ball, made 7 of 8 passes (88%), made an interception to recover the ball, won two duels for low and one for high, committed an infraction and received a foul.
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So far, the 23-year-old midfielder has starred in 8 of PSG’s 10 matches so far in this edition of the UEFA Champions League. He started the first five games against Borussia Dortmund at home, against Newcastle in France and in England and against Milan in Italy and France. Later he came on from the bench against Borussia Dortmund in Germany, against Real Sociedad in Spain and against Barcelona in Spain, only missing the matches against the Basque team and against the Catalan team in Gallic lands.
Ugarte is still in the race in search of the top title in European football, a distinction that only five Uruguayans in history have been able to win: José Emilio Santamaría, Héctor Omar Ramos, Martín Cáceres, Luis Suárez and Federico Valverde.
MANUEL UGARTE IN UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
The Uruguayan’s first participation in the UEFA Champions League was with Sporting Lisbon in the 2021/2022 season, reaching the round of 16, when they were eliminated by Manchester City. That year, Ugarte was a substitute in the first four group stage matches, playing in the last two and participating in the two round of 16 matches against Guardiola’s team.
The second participation was in the 2022/2023 season, starting in all the group stage matches, in which they were eliminated in a series in which they competed with Eintracht Frankfurt, Olympique de Marseille and Tottenham Hotspur.
His first experience in the UEFA Champions League with PSG is this season, in which the Uruguayan all-rounder has accumulated 8 appearances in the 10 games played by his team so far.
