Pep Guardiola’s influencer daughter Maria speaks out after the Man City manager’s split from his wife Cristina Serra after 30 years together

Pep Guardiola’s eldest daughter has broken her silence following the shock split between the Manchester City boss and his wife Cristina Serra.

In her very first interview, Maria Guardiola, a model and influencer, spoke fondly of her parents. She joked that she inherited her father’s “stubbornness,” while her “confidence and sense of independence” came from her mother.

The 24-year-old’s mother and father, who were together for three decades and married in 2014, have yet to comment on the divorce after it was revealed on Monday evening.

Maria, who has two younger siblings, Marius, 22, and Valentina, 17, grew up bouncing from city to city – born in Barcelona before moving to Rome, New York, Munich, Manchester and now London.

“Following my father around the world to watch games gave me special memories and brought the family together,” she explained to Vanity Fair.

“I am incredibly grateful for the experiences I have had,” she added. “Although it was challenging at times, my parents made the transition easier and helped my siblings and me take advantage of the opportunities.”

Maria did not comment on her parents’ divorce and no reason was given for the divorce. However, on Tuesday a friend of Pep told MailOnline that his ‘workaholic’ loan deals were to blame.

‘I think the couple broke up. She left Manchester about three years ago to return to Barcelona. That has taken its toll,” said the source, who wished to remain anonymous.

‘He is a total workaholic and the fact that he is not involved in their family fashion business together may have also affected their relationship.’

In 2016, the Manchester City boss admitted that he was sometimes in his ‘own world’ thinking about his team’s tactical decision for the next match.

‘My family knows I’m there, but I’m not there. Sometimes I’m at home, but I’m not at home,” he told the Times in 2016. “They call ‘Pep, Pep,’ but they know I’m in my own world.”

Even when he played for Barcelona FC, his teammates called him ‘Perfecto’ because of his obsession with the game and his disapproval of his fellow players who put their social lives first.

A few years ago, his friend Manel Estiarte said: ‘You invite him to dinner at a restaurant, but after 32 minutes you see that his mind is already wandering.

“He starts staring at the ceiling and even though he’s nodding as if he’s listening to you, he’s not looking at you. In reality, he’s probably thinking about the opponent’s left back, the marking scheme for the midfielder, how much the wingers can support the inside attackers.’

It is unclear when his daughter Maria conducted the interview with Vanity Fair, but it is said to have taken place after her parents decided to separate.

Reflecting on how her father’s career had shaped the family’s life, she added: ‘My father was already playing when I was born. All our moves were focused on his career, first as a player and then as a coach.

“Football has been a huge part of our family’s journey. In many ways, my family and I owe our lives and opportunities to this sport and of course to my father’s exceptional talent and passion.”

And as Pep’s career continued to flourish, winning a record four consecutive Premier League titles and a historic Champions League victory, Cristina decided to continue the family business in Spain.

Cristina and the couple’s youngest child moved back to Barcelona in 2019 so the Brazilian journalist turned fashion designer could help continue her family boutique Serra-Claret.

The boutique line, which stocks a number of expensive designer labels, first opened in 1933.

In more recent times, a number of celebrities have visited the stores, including Colombian singer Shakira and former Spanish football pro Andrés Iniesta.

Cristina and her sister Judith currently run the original store in Manresa, a town north of Barcelona, ​​and a newer boutique in central Barcelona.

Since moving five years ago, Cristina has lived in a villa in Pedralbes, an exclusive neighborhood in the hills surrounding Barcelona.

The property, which the couple bought in 2021 for £8.55 million, is in an enclave of three villas where adjacent properties have previously sold for around £20 million.

The villa, previously owned by Rafa Marquez, extends over 8,000 square meters, while the wider grounds cover 22,000 square meters and offer panoramic views of the city below.

It has a large swimming pool, gym, wine cellar, cinema and is surrounded by gardens to ensure privacy.

It is here that Cristina and Valentina have lived for the past four years, while Pep still lives in his £2.7 million bachelor pad in Salford.

Spanish news channel El Confidencial described the mansion on Tuesday as “the perfect place for a divorce without anyone discovering when you leave or enter.”

For years, the couple’s long-distance relationship seemed to be working, with both of them traveling back and forth to see each other. Cristina and Pep were often pictured enjoying a night out in Manchester.

But the distance seems to have taken its toll.

Before Cristina returned to Spain in 2018, Pep opened up about the loneliness of being a football manager in a rare interview, explaining that he relied on the support of his family to make ends meet.

‘I only feel safe at home. I mean safe in the sense that you are not complied with. I close the door and feel safe,” he told the BBC.

‘My work is demanding. Cristina is an incredible woman, not just an incredible mother.

“If we were talking about moving to New York, Munich and here, if she decides not to come, then I won’t come. I won’t be here, I can’t be alone in this kind of work without my family.”

However, a year later the family was living in separate cities across the continent.

Cristina would also openly criticize Pep if she thought he had made the wrong decision with a formation or a tactical decision.

As manager of Bayern Munich, he told a press conference with a smile: ‘My wife is more complicated than Robben. Cristina sometimes complains about my tactical decisions.

‘She tells me to repeat the 11 that won me the last match. Explaining my rotation system to her is more difficult than saying to Robben: ‘Today you are a substitute.’

And just a year ago, he credited Cristina with his fashion sense: “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.’

The couple reportedly decided to split in December, with their children already aware of the decision before the news broke.

The family are said to have spent Christmas together at the Pedralbes country house before Pep returned to Britain.

The Spanish journalist who broke the news of Pep and Cristina’s divorce claimed on Tuesday morning that there was no ‘third person’

Lorena Vazquez said: “It has been a deliberate decision that the couple has talked about for months.

‘They still have a cordial and loving relationship.

‘No one else is involved. There are no third parties. We continue to see them together.’