Pep Guardiola ‘has split with his wife Cristina Serra, with the couple separating after 30 years together’

According to reports in Spain, Pep Guardiola and his wife Cristina Serra have split after 30 years.

Manchester City boss Guardiola, 53, and Serra married in an intimate ceremony on the outskirts of Barcelona in 2014, but have now decided to part ways.

News of their split was first reported by the Spanish outlet Sport. The couple, who first met in 1994, had lived separately for more than five years after Serra moved back to Barcelona while Guardiola remained in Manchester.

They have three children together: Maria, 24, Marius, 22, and Valentina, 17.

Guardiola and Serra, a Brazilian journalist and writer, had remained a couple despite not living in the same city, and had been frequently photographed together in recent years.

Sport reports that the decision to end their marriage was made in December, with only members of their inner circle knowing about the split. Their trusted friends and family have also been told not to release any further information, according to the publication.

Serra was in Istanbul in June 2023 to congratulate her husband after City defeated Inter Milan in the Champions League final to seal a famous Treble.

They were also pictured together during a visit to Wimbledon at the All England Club in July.

Guardiola had often spoken publicly about his wife. In January 2024 he said: ‘My wife is the best in the world at many things, especially fashion.

“She normally tells me don’t wear this or wear that, so I follow. I’m smart enough to know that if people are much better than me, I should follow their advice.’

Serra decided to leave Manchester in 2019 to oversee her family’s fashion business, Serra Claret, which stocks several brands that the City manager often wears. Guardiola also regularly travels back to Spain to see his wife and their children.

Guardiola and Serra met while the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss was modeling for designer Antonio Miro at the store in the Spanish city.

They started a long-distance relationship when Guardiola was a footballer, before buying a house together in Barcelona. The couple later moved to Germany when Guardiola was manager of Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich.

According to Sport, despite the breakup, their relationship is “completely cordial, stable and friendly.”

In May 2023, Guardiola said: ‘If I have five days [off] for example yes [I can switch off from football].

‘I went to Barcelona [after Real Madrid] for example to see my wife and my daughter. That helps me. But with every three days, there’s no chance.”

Guardiola had a successful spell at Barcelona between 2008 and turned his team into one of the best in Europe. He later moved to Bayern before taking the City job in 2016 and leading the club to the Treble in 2023.

The Spaniard, who also had a stellar playing career, went on to lead City to an unprecedented fourth consecutive Premier League title last season.

Guardiola ended speculation about his future at City in November by signing a two-year contract extension that will keep him at the Etihad until 2027.

The city is enduring a poor campaign by their standards. The champions are at risk of failing to qualify for the knockout rounds of the Champions League and being sixth in the Premier League, 12 points behind leaders Liverpool.

The news comes after Guardiola launched an X-rated tirade against serial autograph hunters who targeted the Manchester City manager for autographs near his home.

Guardiola has already been in the spotlight off the pitch this season, having previously cut his face in the dugout.

And Guardiola has now given a life lesson to would-be autograph hunters as they asked for shirts and other memorabilia to sign as he walked through a car park near his home.

A fiery Guardiola wasted no time in making his feelings heard during the short and heated exchange as he identified two poachers looking to make money by selling goods bearing his signature and told them to make their choices better.