Pep Guardiola's wife ended their 30-year relationship after the Manchester City manager “put football before their relationship” by signing a two-year contract extension that would have kept him in the UK until 2027, it has been reported. he stated today.
Fashion entrepreneur Cristina Serra, who returned to Barcelona from Manchester in 2019 to focus on her business interests but still regularly visited the 53-year-old father-of-three in his adopted city, decided “enough was enough” after learning who had U. -He made the decision to leave Britain and was going to remain in his current job until 2027.
The explosive accusations were made on Wednesday afternoon by Lorena Vázquez and fellow Spanish journalist Laura Fa, who form a duo of highly respected showbiz reporters called Mamarazzis, and broke the story of the couple's shocking marriage break-up in early of this week.
Pep's previous contract with City was due to expire at the end of the season, but he agreed to a two-year extension in November.
He said at the time that he could not leave the club after suffering four consecutive defeats for the first time in his coaching career.
Lorena, in the weekly Mamarazzi Podcast broadcast this afternoon, stated: “After Cristina returned to Barcelona from Manchester in 2019 to focus on her business interests, it is true that the first rumors arose about her marriage to Pep, but no one dared to speak.” that there is a crisis in the relationship, much less a breakup.
Pep Guardiola's decision to renew his contract with Manchester City until 2027 was a key factor in his wife Cristina Serra's decision to end their romantic relationship.
Guardiola, pictured with his wife and daughters, signed a two-year extension in November
Guardiola met Serra when they were 18 in 1994 and the couple married in 2014.
“That was until last September, when Pep's professional circle in Manchester was first surprised to not see Cristina in the city after the summer holidays and began to wonder why she was not in Manchester with him.
“Until then it was normal to see Cristina in Manchester from time to time even though she had stopped living there full-time in 2019 and divided her time mainly between Barcelona and London.
'They continued to see each other and participate in family activities and remained a couple whenever they met.
“Last September Cristina stopped appearing in Manchester.”
After her colleague said that in the couple's close circle they began to openly talk about a breakup because in October 'there was a lot of distance between them', Lorena added: “One of the things that Cristina blames Pep for is that he was too focused on his professional project. and he saw him too involved in what was, let's say, the universe of football and perhaps he felt the need to direct his life somewhere else.
'So what's going on? Although in December they decide to travel to Barcelona and spend Christmas with their children, it is then that the decision to break up is made and it is Cristina who makes the decision.'
Laura insisted that it was Cristina and not Pep who decided to end their relationship, saying: “She makes the decision when he decides to renew his contract with Manchester City because in the previous months Pep had been preparing his departure from the club.
'We know that one of his goals was to leave and move to the United Arab Emirates.
The couple, pictured at Wimbledon, met in 1994 before marrying in an intimate ceremony in 2014.
Guardiola and Serra were still a couple despite not living in the same city (in the photo from 2013)
The couple set up a family home in Barcelona before moving to Germany when Guardiola accepted the Bayern job. In the photo: the couple at the Munich Oktoberfest in 2014.
'People around him were beginning to say goodbye to him because he was not going to renew their contact.
“That decision not to renew helped him get closer to his wife, but when he decided to stay and extend his contract, Cristina decided that enough was enough and it was she who decided to end the marriage that had lasted so many years.”
After having spoken to Pep and Cristina's circle of friends, as well as people professionally linked to the football coach, he added: “Everyone we have spoken to talks about Pep being obsessed with football and that he is about to in front of everything, and here It ended before getting married and that has cost him.
Lorena continues: 'Pep's circle was the first to be surprised by the materialization of the contract extension and the signing of Pep, and they knew then that this renewal was going to lead Cristina to decide that her romantic relationship with her husband had to change.
'Let's say that rather than reaching a definitive end, this could be a breakup because in the couple's close circle there is talk of the possibility of a reconciliation in the future.
“They tell us that although it is Cristina who left Manchester and has made this decision, they do not rule out the possibility that one day in the future, when Pep has left football and perhaps returns to Barcelona, they can restart their career.” relationship.
“We have not only spoken with friends but also with Pep's professional circle and what they want to make clear is that it is a friendly separation, that it is designed without fights and that there are no third parties.
'We cannot say with certainty that there is no one else but what is true is that people close to them say that there have been no infidelities and that there are no third parties.
Serra is regularly seen on the pitch celebrating with her husband after City won major trophies.
“We can't say if the divorce papers have been signed, but we can say that the possibility of divorce is on the table.”
Earlier today it emerged that Pep's eldest daughter Maria had opened up about her parents' lessons on love after becoming the first member of the family to speak out since the shocking news of their split.
The beautiful influencer and fashionista said in an interview for a Spanish magazine published around the same time her father broke up with his 30-year-old wife: “My parents have always advised me to find what I'm passionate about.”
'They encourage me to try new things, to accept failure and to keep searching until I find my calling, because when I do, total dedication will come naturally.
“They also remind me that the most important thing in life is to love and be loved.”
The 24-year-old London beauty went on to tell Vanity Fair Spain: “In the end, it all comes down to feeling loved.
“Even in situations where we feel out of place, I am told to listen carefully to others, there is always something valuable to learn from every person we meet.”
Maria, whose siblings are Marius, 22, and Valentina, 17, is believed to have been interviewed after her parents made the decision to end their three-decade relationship, but before news of the separation broke. made public.
Serra attended the FIFA Best Awards in London with Guardiola in January last year
It was not immediately clear this morning exactly when he spoke to the magazine.
Guardiola will have completed 11 years at City when his new term ends. He is already the longest-serving manager in the Premier League and second in all four divisions.
Shortly after drafting his contract extension, he said, “Honestly, I think that I, my staff and my friends, I think we deserve to be here.” I'm sorry to say. I'm not arrogant when I say it, but it's the truth.
“I think we deserve, after four defeats in a row, to recover and try to change the situation. At that moment, in that period, I had the feeling that the right decisions have to be made for the future and I want to make them.
“Manchester City means a lot to me. This is my ninth season here; we have experienced many incredible moments together. I have a very special feeling for this football club. That is why I am so happy to stay for two more seasons.”