Inside Pep Guardiola's unconventional marriage after living apart for five years

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has reportedly separated from his wife of 30 years, Cristina Serra, after living in different countries for at least five years

Pep Guardiola's relationship with his wife started and ended with long distance.

The Manchester City boss, 53, has reportedly split from wife, Cristina Serra, after 30 years of marriage but the former couple are said to be on good terms. The pair, who share three children, met back in 1994 when Guardiola was a football player for Barcelona, but did not tie the knot until 2014 in an intimate ceremony.

The couple have largely kept their romance out of the public eye and it's understood they have lived apart in different countries for the last five years. In September 2019, Serra returned to Barcelona with their daughter Valentina, while Guardiola remained living in Manchester with their other kids, daughter Maria and son Marius.

It was revealed that the decision was made so that Serra could look after her business interests, after managing things by commuting back and forth from England in the previous three years. But they continued to be seen together on numerous occasions, with Serra travelling to the UK for family time. At Christmas, the couple were seen going to the theatre with one of their daughters.

Serra is a Brazilian writer, journalist and fashionista who was born in Italy in 1973. She grew up surrounded by fashion, with her family owning a popular clothes store in Spain. Serra Claret was a high-end shop based in Barcelona, which stocked labels such as D Squared and Armani, and Serra worked their from a young age. It was in the store that she first met Guardiola when he was 18.

The Barcelona star was invited to do some modelling for designer Antonio Miro in Serra's family store, where she was working at the time. The couple hit it off and started with long-distance dating due to the footballer's career, but they eventually set up a family home in the upper part of Barcelona. After 27 years, they officially married in May 2014 in a low-key ceremony in Catalonia.

The couple then moved to Germany together when Guardiola managed Bayern Munich in 2013, and then again to England when he took over at Man City in 2016. Over the years, Serra has collaborated with numerous fashion houses and their eldest daughter, Maria, who is a student in London, is also a Spanish style icon like her mother. It was reported she was dating Everton star Dele Ali in 2021.

In 2017, Serra attended the fateful Ariana Grande concert with Maria and Valentina in Manchester, in which a suicide bomber killed 22 people and injured a further 59. Thankfully, the mother and her daughters were unharmed in the incident and made it out of the venue safely. Guardiola later said they were grateful they were "lucky" and in a "better position than many unfortunate ones".

On the rare occassions that Guardiola and Serra have spoken about their relationship in the public eye, they have both been full of praise. Serra was a big supporter of her husband when he was accused of doping during his playing days and she was one of many who defended him to the media before all charges were eventually dropped.

The Man City boss has also said his wife has a big influence on his clothes. He previously told Men In Blazers: "My wife is the best in the world at many things, but especially in fashion. So she says normally to me, don't wear this or wear that, so I follow her. I am smart enough to know that when people are much much better than me, follow their advices, and hers is really good."

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