Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has been spotted for the first time since news broke of his split from his wife of 30 years, Cristina Serra.
The reigning Premier League champions arrived in London on Tuesday evening ahead of their match against Brentford.
Guardiola was seen wearing his wedding ring amid reports from Spain of his split from Serra.
Observers are wondering whether his relationship problems could be behind the strange outbursts, including a joke about self-harm and several angry arguments with fans on and off the pitch.
Manchester City’s form has plummeted and it has now emerged that he and his wife have reportedly split after living in different countries for five years.
Until this season, this 800-mile separation – Pep in Manchester and his Cristina in Barcelona with their three children – coincided with a golden age for City and its boss.
Pep Guardiola arrived at a hotel in London on Tuesday ahead of the match between Manchester City and Brentford
Reports emerged on Monday that Guardiola and his wife, Cristina Serra, have been separated for 30 years
Guardiola was seen wearing his wedding ring as the Man City players arrived at their hotel in London
Guardiola and his wife have reportedly split after living in different countries for five years
But last night it emerged that Mr and Mrs Guardiola have reportedly decided to end their marriage, although friends have said it is ‘friendly and cordial’ and they spent Christmas with their children Maria, 24, Marius, 22, and Valentina, 17, have spent.
In recent months, City have endured the worst run of their manager’s golden career, following a record four Premier League titles in a row and an historic Champions League victory.
Off the pitch, Pep has been involved in a series of rows with football fans who have upset him by asking him for autographs or teasing him after a defeat. There have also been problems with players, including Kyle Walker’s love drama and speculation about the futures of players such as Jack Grealish and Kevin De Bruyne.
There were also worrying comments about self-harm after he admitted scratching his own head and face until it bled during the final moments of City’s collapse against Feyenoord in November. He also spoke about the loneliness of football management as City fell to sixth in the league with six defeats, including four in a row.
Guardiola’s assessment may have taken on greater significance after reports emerged in Spain on Monday that he has separated from his wife Cristina Serra of 30 years. They met when they were 18, in 1994, and married in 2014.
And while his place as one of football’s greatest coaches is undisputed, the grief of breaking up with his childhood sweetheart wife despite a poor start to this season will also have caused him more pain.
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.
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.
Guardiola met Serra when they were 18 in 1994 and the couple married in 2014
Guardiola, 53, and Serra first met in 1994 before marrying in an intimate ceremony in 2014
Guardiola and Serra had remained a couple despite not living in the same city (pictured in Munich in 2013)
The couple set up a family home together in Barcelona before moving to Germany when Guardiola took the job at Bayern
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.
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 and Serra pictured with daughter Maria after City won the Treble in Istanbul
Serra is regularly seen on the pitch celebrating with her husband after City win big trophies
Serra attended the FIFA Best Awards in London with Guardiola in January last year
Guardiola cut a frustrated figure as he spoke to the media ahead of Man City’s visit to Brentford on Tuesday.
The Spaniard appeared visibly irritated when asked about Kyle Walker – who surprised the club by saying he wants to leave – and City’s January transfer targets.
Guardiola clearly showed the tension when he appeared to scratch his own face in the dugout during the Champions League match against Feyenoord. When his team surrendered a three-nil lead, he was seen on the touchline clawing at his head and was later pictured with red marks on his face.
The City boss later joked that the injuries were because he ‘wanted to hurt himself’.
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.