Guardiola Returned to His Wife — and Manchester City Was Reborn. Coincidence?

It’s been a turbulent season for Pep Guardiola. Not only did Manchester City stumble, but he also separated from his wife after 30 years together. Divorce is always complicated — understandable enough — and various reasons were cited, even rumors of tax fraud. However, the English media pointed to what they believe was the key factor: allegedly, Cristina Serra couldn't forgive Pep for extending his contract with City. She supposedly grew tired of competing with football, the true love of her husband’s life.

Whether to trust our colleagues from across the Channel is up to you. But observant fans noticed a suspicious link between Manchester City’s decline in form and changes in Guardiola’s personal life. Consider this: in the first nine rounds of the Premier League, City earned 23 points under Pep. Yet after the first rumors of the divorce surfaced, they managed only five points across the next nine matches.

Guardiola never publicly commented on the situation, but sharp-eyed fans once again did the detective work for him. He hadn’t taken off his wedding ring! A sign that there was still hope for reconciliation. Spanish journalists later added fuel to the fire when they caught Pep and Cristina strolling through Barcelona during Easter. According to their reports, Pep and Cristina had reunited several weeks earlier.

Even football fans were divided: was it emotional turmoil that had such a profound impact on Guardiola’s coaching genius? Or… was the “bald fraud” meme not a joke after all? Maybe behind all the tiki-taka, inverted full-backs, and other tactical innovations that earned Pep 39 trophies, it was Cristina Serra who truly held everything together. After all, by a sudden and curious coincidence, City stopped losing again, picking up 14 points in their last six Premier League matches.

All jokes aside, we sincerely wish Guardiola happiness. It was tough to watch him looking so battered, anxious, and sad. He even seemed to cool off toward football itself. At least, he started taking defeats with the stoicism of a true sage, and during the winter, he even hinted at an early retirement. However, his contract runs until 2027 — so Cristina will have to wait just a little bit longer.

Published by Patrick Jane
26.04.2025