Manchester City’s long-serving manager, Pep Guardiola, has announced that he and his wife, Cristina, are to divorce after 30 years of marriage. The pair, who have three children together, confirmed the split after spending Christmas together as a family.
According to reports, friends close to the pair insist they remain ‘friendly and cordial’. However, the news makes sense why City boss Guardiola has been showing signs of mental strain in recent months, with a string of off-field bust-ups with the media and fans captured on video.
The couple have been living in separate countries for the last five years, with Pep based in Manchester and Cristina living in Barcelona with their children. Of course, Pep’s on-field success with City appeared to make the commitment worthwhile. The Spaniard has overseen a golden age for City, winning six Premier League titles, two FA Cups, four EFL Cups and one UEFA Champions League.
The recent drop-off in form for City, falling 12 points adrift of league leaders, Liverpool, has, however, seen cracks appear in Guardiola’s demeanour both on the sidelines and in press conferences.
Pep and Cristina met in 1994, when Guardiola was becoming a star for Barcelona. However, the pair didn’t marry until 2014, when they exchanged vows during an intimate ceremony. Cristina returned to live in Barcelona in 2019, having spent the first three to four years of her husband’s managerial reign at City in Manchester.
Given that they have been together for three decades and officially married for more than ten years, Cristina will surely be entitled to a substantial share of Pep’s assets. This will include his earnings from his playing career at Barcelona, followed by his salary and bonuses from his time as a manager at the Nou Camp and with Manchester City.
Although there is nothing stopping Cristina handling the divorce herself, given the sums at stake she’ll no doubt utilise the services of a divorce lawyer. According to Reiss Edwards, one of the leading divorce lawyers London has to offer, it’s important to have a solicitor review and formally document the agreement to ensure it is legally binding and unlikely to be contested in the future. They can also engage the services of a forensic accountant to dig deeper into wealth and assets if necessary.
Will Pep Guardiola leave Manchester City this summer?
Despite the volatility in Guardiola’s personal life, it feels like the Spaniard remains just as committed to the Manchester City project as ever. He agreed a new two-year contract extension on a deal which was due to expire at the end of the 2024/25 campaign. The Catalan admitted he’d weighed up leaving in the summer of 2025, but insisted that leaving after a difficult season would be letting the club down.
Guardiola insists he has a “really special feeling” for Manchester City, having spent the best part of a decade moulding this squad of winners together. There will certainly come a time when his reign is over, but it appears Guardiola’s primary focus post-divorce is to find a way to get back on an equal footing with Arne Slot’s Liverpool.
For more details on Guardiola’s ongoing career at the Etihad Stadium, be sure to check out:
- Could City face relegation due to their ongoing FFP charges?
- Pep Guardiola pens new two-year contract in November.
