Football manager Pep Guardiola and his estranged wife had an unusual living situation before deciding to call time on their marriage.
The Manchester City boss has reportedly parted ways with his partner after 30 years as husband and wife. Despite his focus on reviving the form of the reigning English champions, it seems he has separated from his long-term partner Cristina Serra off the field.
The rumoured split will come as no surprise to some as eyebrows were raised five years ago when it was revealed Cristina had decided to move back to Barcelona, with Pepe remaining in Manchester due to his work commitments. The Sunday Mirror reported in 2019 that Cristina opted to return to Spain after three years in England in order to focus on her business interests based in Catalonia.
Cristina, who met Pep when working in her family’s clothing boutique, took one of their three children with her when she swapped Manchester for Barcelona to look after her fashion company and left Pep in England. Now, more than five years later, reports from Spain suggest the couple have split.
Despite the separation, Pep and Cristina are believed to be on amicable terms. They were reportedly spotted together at a theatre during Christmas with one of their daughters. The pair first met in 1994 when Pep was playing for Barcelona, but they didn’t tie the knot until 2014 in a private ceremony.
They have three children – daughters Maria and Valentina, and son Marius. Since Cristina’s return to Barcelona in 2019, the couple have primarily lived separately, with Pep staying in Manchester while his wife shuttled between Spain and the UK. However, they were seen together on multiple occasions. This news emerges as City enjoys a resurgence in form, having won their last three matches in all competitions following a dismal run that dashed their hopes of retaining their title.
City might have to push through the latter half of the season without their skipper Kyle Walker, who’s reportedly keen on an exit from the Etihad. Both Milan giants, AC and Inter, are rumoured to be in the mix for his signature, with whispers also suggesting a lucrative leap to Saudi Arabia could be on the cards. Kyle shares four children with his estranged wife Annie Kilner and two with reality TV star Lauryn Goodman.
Pep was non-committal about Kyle’s future game time, saying: “I don’t know. It depends on how we are going to train. It depends on him. The situation is different now, but the transfer window will finish when it finishes and I don’t know what’s going to happen. I said to Kyle now it’s a question of the market. He is an incredible player, with incredible physicality and when he’s focused he’s unstoppable as a right-back.”
The City boss continued to laud Kyle: “He’s a top-class player. If he’s fit he can play for one, two, three or four more years as a professional. I’ve never seen a player with these physical conditions in my career. If he wants to explore a move away, the club is going to explore, and he has to decide, not me. It’s not my decision. But he has to have an agreement with the club.”
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