Pep Guardiola, the Manchester City manager, has reportedly parted ways with his wife after being together for three decades.
While the football maestro’s focus has been on reviving the fortunes of the reigning English champions, it seems he has chosen a different path from his long-standing partner Cristina Serra off the pitch.
The Sunday Mirror revealed in 2019 that Serra had relocated back to Barcelona with one of their trio of children, and now, over half a decade later, Spanish reports suggest the couple have called it quits.
Despite the separation, it’s believed that Guardiola and Serra remain amicable. They were reportedly spotted together during the festive season, enjoying a theatre outing with one of their daughters.
Their love story began in 1994 when Guardiola was donning the Barcelona jersey, but they only tied the knot in 2014 in a low-key ceremony. The couple share three children – daughters Maria and Valentina, and son Marius.
Since Serra’s move back to Barcelona in 2019, the couple have largely lived separate lives, with Guardiola staying put in Manchester while his wife shuttled between Spain and the UK.
However, they continued to make public appearances together on multiple occasions.
This personal news coincides with a resurgence in form for City, who have clinched victories in their last three matches across all tournaments following a dismal spell that saw their title defence hopes evaporate.
Manchester City might have to soldier on without their skipper Kyle Walker for the latter half of the season, as he’s signalled his intention to part ways with the Etihad. Both Milan giants, AC and Inter, are reportedly keen on snapping him up, and there’s talk of a lucrative deal that could whisk him off to Saudi Arabia.
Pep Guardiola, when quizzed about the possibility of the England defender donning the City jersey again, admitted: “I don’t know. It depends on how we are going to train. It depends on him.”
He acknowledged the uncertainty surrounding the situation, adding, “The situation is different now, but the transfer window will finish when it finishes and I don’t know what’s going to happen.”