Manuel Ugarte was criticised after Uruguay’s goalless draw with Bolivia on Tuesday night, but Manchester United supporters quickly came together to support the midfielder. The 23-year-old had a difficult World Cup qualifying campaign, losing possession 14 times, making poor passes at a startling rate (only 64%), and finishing second in 16 of his 24 duels.
A few of his club and national supporters have criticised the former Paris Saint-Germain player following his lacklustre performance (see his highlights below). Many others, on the other hand, have jumped to his defence, citing the dire circumstances that significantly contributed to his difficulties.
🚨🎥- Every action of Manuel Ugarte against Bolivia…
Thoughts?
pic.twitter.com/jRY4KJDV8r— Anna (fan) (@UgarteCentral) March 26, 2025
El Alto Stadium, which is situated an astounding 4,150 meters above sea level, hosted Uruguay’s match. The playing circumstances were as harsh as they could be, with such little air, and Ugarte was probably left struggling for form and breath in a setting that was completely unlike from anything he had ever been in.
Why Man United Fans Have Defended Manuel Ugarte
He and his teammates were playing in extreme conditions
Uruguay wanted to go closer to qualifying for the World Cup in Bolivia, but their players frequently had to pause—not for tactics, but for oxygen—because of the constant threats of high altitude. Watch the video below:
Difficult conditions at Bolivia's stadium: José María Giménez had to take oxygen during the match.
The stadium is located at an altitude of 4,100 metres above sea level. 😳🇧🇴 pic.twitter.com/zPim6Vw1Ie
— EuroFoot (@eurofootcom) March 26, 2025
Due to these extremes, a large number of Manchester United fans have rushed to defend their midfield player. “Before you jump to troll Manuel Ugarte over a ‘bad’ performance maybe realise that these were the conditions that both teams were facing,” a user on X said. “El Alto Stadium sits at 4,150 meters above sea level and players had to use oxygen bottles during the match.” One more was added:
“If you want to have a go at Ugarte for taking oxygen, you try playing 90mins at 10,000ft… you won’t last 10 minutes.”
What did Ugarte do in the past 24 hours to attract these comments from Man United fans across social media? pic.twitter.com/xCSq1PHkRy
— Miracle Nwoke (@MiracleNwoke94) March 26, 2025
Uruguay, the first-ever World Cup winners, have not fared well during the first international break of 2025 after losing 1-0 to 10-man Argentina only days earlier. They are still third in the South American standings, though, having gained 21 points from their first 14 qualifiers.
They are in a strong position to be one of the six teams in their contingent to qualify, as they are currently six points ahead of seventh place. Argentina, the defending champions, is the only South American country that has already been assured of qualifying.
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