Pep Guardiola’s marriage ended because ‘he’s a total workaholic’ and it ‘took its toll’ on his relationship, a close friend of the Manchester City boss told MailOnline.
Pep has split from his fashion designer wife Cristina Serra after three decades together, it was revealed on Monday evening – without a reason given for the split.
But now 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 the fact that he is not involved in their family fashion business together may have also affected their relationship.’
Cristina moved back to Barcelona in 2019 with their youngest daughter Valentina, now 17, so she could help run her family’s designer clothing boutique.
Despite the 800 miles distance between Manchester and the Catalan capital, their relationship appeared to remain on good terms to the public.
Pep Guardiola and wife Cristina Serra have split because he is a ‘total workaholic’ and it is ‘taking a toll’ on the relationship, a source tells MailOnline
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
The couple were often pictured enjoying dinner together or with their three children.
Yet the long haul now appears to have taken its toll, coinciding with the worst run of Peps’ golden career after a record four consecutive Premier League titles and a historic Champions League win.
Man City fans raised concerns about their manager after he had a number of outbursts, including a joke about self-harm and several angry arguments with fans on and off the pitch.
The source refuted any accusations of infidelity, adding, “They parted ways on friendly terms and I really don’t think anyone else is involved.”
Earlier on Tuesday, he was seen for the first time since news broke of his divorce from his wife.
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.
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
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.
But on Monday evening it emerged that Mr and Mrs Guardiola have reportedly decided to end their marriage, although friends said it was ‘friendly and cordial’ and they spent Christmas with their children Maria, 24, Marius, 22, and Valentina, 17, 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 had remained a couple despite not living in the same city (photo in 2013)
The couple set up a family home together in Barcelona before moving to Germany when Guardiola took the Bayern job. Pictured: the couple at the Munich Oktoberfest in 2014
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.
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.
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
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 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.