Manuel Ugarte was born in Montevideo, Uruguay, on 11 April 2001. He took his first steps on the football pitch at one of the clubs in the Uruguayan capital, CA Fénix. In December 2016, he made his professional debut at the age of 15. He played 57 matches before making a move to Portugal. Signing for FC Famalicao and then Sporting Portugal a year later, the midfielder quickly adapted to the Portuguese league, playing 38 matches in the 2021-2022 season and 47 matches in the 2022-2023 season. He also picked up caps for the Uruguayan national team and participated in the 2022 World Cup. After gaining significant experience, Manuel took on a new challenge in Europe by joining Paris Saint-Germain during the summer transfer window of 2023.