MANCHESTER CITY manager Pep Guardiola and his wife Cristina Serra “are still estranged” and “will remain so” unless anything dramatic occurs, reports in Spain say.
It was claimed last month the couple were trying to give their marriage a second chance after Guardiola and his fashion entrepreneur wife spent three days together at their former Barcelona marital home over Easter.
It was the second time since news of their shock split became public in January that the former Barcelona footballer had travelled to the Catalan capital and spent time with Cristina.
Barcelona-based newspaper El Nacional said after the second reunion they were prepared to “give each another chance” and claimed “all was not lost in their marriage.”
But the journalists who broke the story of their shock split last night shot down the chances of a fresh start for Pep and Cristina after their decision to call time on their 30-year relationship.
Lorena Vasquez, one of a duo of well-respected Spanish showbiz reporters who call themselves the Mamarazzis, went on a Spanish TV show in February to say they had launched divorce proceedings which were “amicable” because they were using the same lawyer.
She also linked the split again to the Man City manager’s unexpected decision last November to renew his contract with the Premier League club until 2027.
Overnight, shooting down possibilities of a reunion, Lorena’s colleague Laura Fa said on the Mamarrazis podcast: “It’s been speculated recently that there could exist a possibility of a reconciliation because Pep Guardiola had been seen at his house in Barcelona with the woman who is still his wife and their youngest daughter.
“We had already explained that despite separating they would continue to see each other as a family.
“That’s why after separating Pep and Cristina went to the theatre with their daughter.
“As the talk of conciliation was so strong we have continued to investigate.”
Lorena added: “A lot of this has come about one of the visits Pep made to Barcelona when a photographer managed to get a photo of him.
“We were able to confirm Pep Guardiola spent three days in the city and slept for at least two nights in the house in Barcelona he bought with Cristina where their daughter still lives.
“What we know is that the separation is continuing its course and there’s no reconciliation and as far as Cristina is concerned there’s no attempt at reconciliation.
“She was the one who sparked the split and gave Pep a sort of ultimatum and he could still be trying to come to terms with the situation.”
Laura said: “The house Pep spends time in when he is in Barcelona is still the family home and will be the place he comes to when he returns to the city to see his children or when there are family events here.
“Pep and Cristina continue to have a good relationship.
“We don’t have many more details about the couple’s intimacy but we can confirm that they are still separated and there is no reconciliation on the horizon.
“The thing is that when there’s a good relationship between a couple who have split, it can sometimes cause confusion.”
Lorena Vazquez claimed on Spanish TV ‘Y Ahora Sonsoles’ on Antena 3 channel in February: “The divorce is being prepared conscientiously and they have left it in the hands of people they really trust.
“What surprises me the most is that both of them have the same lawyer who is arranging the whole thing.
“They want it to be amicable for the sake of their children.”
She added: “As you can imagine money is not going to be an issue and they are now agreeing on the initial terms to make sure this separation is the most cordial possible.”
She went on to say, when asked why she thought Pep was still wearing his wedding ring: “It’s surprising he’s still wearing his wedding ring and I wouldn’t be able to tell you if it’s a symbol he wants to carry on wearing as a homage to his marriage or as an open door to reconciliation, because what we’re being told is that he would perhaps be more open to that than his wife.
“What I’m also being told is that Cristina is suffering with the fact her name has come to the fore.
“She has been a person who has always been in the background who never wanted to be known or recognised as the partner of Pep Guardiola although she is very proud to be married to him.
“But seeing herself in glossy magazines and seeing herself as the object of the tabloid press is something she doesn’t like at all.
“But we know they are very happy that the news has finally come out, or rather than happy I would say relieved.
“We had little information when we first came out with the news but we knew it was true, so much so that they themselves have now transmitted the news to all their close friends because initially they wanted to keep information back about the details of the separation.
“They are still keeping that information back but they are confirming to anyone that asks them that they are separated.
“Although they don’t like being protagonists in anything, there is certain relief on their part that finally their split has come out, there are no third people involved, and that it’s down to Pep’s contract renovation with Manchester City that became very burdensome and was also a surprise for Cristina.
Cristina insisted she was “feeling great” in her first comments since news of their split emerged in January as she was pictured shopping alone in Barcelona.
She opted for silence when she was subsequently asked by a Spanish reporter about the cause of their break-up and has refused to comment whenever she has been approached since.
The couple’s eldest daughter Maria opened up on her parents’ lessons about love after becoming the first family member to speak since the shock news of their split.
The pretty influencer and fashionista said in a Spanish magazine interview published around the same time her dad’s break-up with Cristina emerged: “My parents have always advised me to find what I am 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, full 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-based 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, they tell me to listen carefully to others, there is always something valuable to learn from each person we meet.”
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