Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Manuel Ugarte went viral last week during the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying match between Argentina and Uruguay.
In the first half, Ugarte confronted Rodrigo De Paul, a midfielder for Atletico Madrid. The 22-year-old made an NSFW gesture toward De Paul during the conflict.
A few days have passed since the incident in Uruguay’s 2-0 win, and Ugarte recently spoke with the local media, Sport 890. The former Sporting CP player looked back and felt a little embarrassed for his actions.
“When they told me that a gesture of mine went viral, I didn’t understand anything,” Ugarte told the outlet. “Then I saw it, and I wanted to die. It is not good. He took importance from Paul, and he stayed on the field.”
After the game, there was still animosity between the two teams. Lionel Messi, a former PSG star, was asked about the gesture but remained silent instead of expressing his true feelings.
Nonetheless, the 2022 FIFA World Cup winner noted that players like Ugarte on the Uruguayan squad need to learn to follow the elders on the team, referring to Luis Suárez.
Furthermore, there was also a reaction from the English-speaking media. ESPN FC’s Gab Marcotti and Julien Laurens shared their thoughts on the incident. Seeing how Ugarte performs when Argentina and Uruguay meet again will be interesting.
