•Pep Guardiola and his estranged wife, Cristina Serra
Pep Guardiola’s marriage fell apart because he’s a workaholic and went ahead to extend his contract with Manchester City.
According to Daily Mail, his devotion to work ‘took a toll’ on his relationship, a close friend of the Manchester City boss revealed.
Pep split from his fashion designer wife Cristina Serra after being together for three decades – with no official reason for the separation given.
But a friend close to Pep, who did not want to be named, said: “I think they have grown apart. She left Manchester about five years ago to return to Barcelona. That has taken its toll.
“He is a total workaholic and not being involved in their family fashion business together may have affected their relationship too.”
Guardiola, 53, extended his contract with the Cityzens and is expected to stay at the club until 2027.
Cristina moved back to Barcelona in 2019 with their youngest daughter Valentina, now 17, so she could help run her family’s designer clothes boutique.
Man City endured one of the toughest periods under Guardiola, winning just once in thirteen matches across all competitions before the 2-0 victory over Leicester City late December 2024.
He had admitted scratching his own head and face until it bled during the final moments of City’s collapse against Feyenoord in November due to bad results. He also spoke of the loneliness of football management.
Guardiola and Serra met while the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss was modelling for designer Antonio Miro in the shop in the Spanish city.
They began a long-distance relationship when Guardiola was a footballer, before they bought a home together in Barcelona. The couple later moved to Germany when Guardiola was manager of Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich.
With Guardiola’s on and off-field troubles, City are at risk of failing to qualify for the knockout rounds of the Champions League and sit sixth in the Premier League, 12 points behind leaders Liverpool.
