Pep and Cristina separate after over 30 years together. Credit: Asistanaliz, Twitter.
Manchester city manager and arguably one of the greatest football coaches of all time Pep Guardiola has separated from his wife, Cristina Serra, after over 30 years together.
Cristina will stay in Barcelona to focus on family business
The City boss, 53, has lived away from Serra for at least five years, as she left Manchester in 2019 to focus on her family business back in Barcelona.
Guardiola first met Serra in 1994, whilst he was a player with Barcelona, and the couple married near the Spanish city in 2014. They have three children, Maria, 24, Marius, 22, and Valentina, 17.
Spanish media outlet Sport reported that the pair’s decision to break things off was first made in December, with only “members of their inner circle” initially being made aware of the split. Sport also claimed that according to Pep and Cristina, their relationship remains “totally cordial, stable and friendly.”
City and Pep going through difficult period
The break-up takes place in possibly Pep’s most torrid time as a manager to date, and most definitely as Manchester City boss, with his side struggling for form and sitting sixth in the Premier League, a worrying fall from grace since their domestic domination over the past few years.
Cristina Serra is a Brazilian journalist and writer, who will remain in Barcelona full time to help oversee fashion outlet Serra Claret’s operation in the city, which is run by her and her family. The company sells high-end fashion items.
Serra has been by Pep’s side for the entirety of his managerial career thus far, and was present in Istanbul as City completed the Treble, beating Inter Milan in the Champions League final in June, 2023.
Speaking in January, 2024, Pep said of his then wife: “My wife is the best in the world at many things, especially fashion. She normally says to me, don’t wear this or wear that, so I follow. I am smart enough to know that when people are much better than me, to follow their advice.”
Guardiola’s decorated career as manager
Guardiola won the Treble with Barcelona in his first season as manager of the first team, achieving a total of 14 honours with the Blaugrana. He then moved to Bayern Munich, where he won the Bundesliga title, the top division in Germany, three years on the spin.
Since taking over at City in 2016, Guardiola has won six Premier League titles, including a record Centurion campaign where his team became the first English side to attain 100 points in a single top flight season. He has won three Champions League trophies throughout his managerial tenure so far, and has accumulated dozens of individual accolades, cementing him as one of the most successful football managers of all time.
Follow the latest celebrity news here.
Read the full article here