Uruguayan midfielder joins from FC Famalicão through to 2026

Sporting Clube de Portugal have signed midfielder Manuel Ugarte as their latest summer reinforcement, with the Uruguayan joining through to 2026. The contract for the former FC Famalicão player, who was presented this Monday in Alcochete, has a buyout clause of 60 million euros.

An international at Under-23 level for Uruguay, Ugarte came up through the ranks at CA Fénix in his home country. He was promoted to the club's senior team, where he stayed for several seasons, and in December 2020 was signed by FC Famalicão for his first experience in the Portuguese league. There, he played 20 games (18 in the starting XI) and scored one goal in the second half of the last season, and also played in the second stage of the Taça da Liga recently at the start of 2021/2022.

Speaking on Monday, Ugarte described the feeling of signing for Sporting CP as "enormous happiness. Not just for me, but for my family as well. It's a huge step up in my career."

The Uruguayan demonstrated that he is aware of the way of thinking that Rúben Amorim and the Sporting CP squad employ, stating that "As has always been said, we will take things game by game and you always have to think in the short term."

The move to Sporting CP reunites him with compatriot Sebastián Coates and former teammate Rúben Vinagre, with the former contacting him to offer any help that he might need. Ugarte says that "everybody made me feel like part of Sporting CP, which is really nice."

Influencing his decision to come to Lisbon was the commitment shown by Sporting CP to young talent.

“Sporting CP have a project. There are many young people who play for the club and the Academia is a great place to learn the concepts of football and to improve as a player. I'm here for what the manager needs," he explained, before talking about his excitement to play in front of the fans.

"I've already imagined playing in the stadium with the supporters there. We players are privileged to be able to enjoy that moment, and the fans should have no doubt that I'll leave everything out on the pitch."