Guardiola files divorce papers and 'uses' lawyer to avoid legal battle

Separated for over a month, Pep Guardiola and Cristina Serra have decided to move forward and have filed for divorce. Some even link this painful process, after 30 years of relationship, to the ups and downs of one of the most atypical seasons of the coach's career. And for this reason, the former couple is willing to avoid even greater and more arduous wear and tear until their final separation.

Sources close to the couple say that they are determined to avoid a legal battle at all costs, in order not only to maintain a friendly relationship but also to protect their children. In this sense, Guardiola and Serra understood that the best way forward would be to use the same lawyer throughout the divorce process - and so they did.

According to Lorena Vazquez, known as 'Mamarazzis', the two began the divorce process between the end of last week and the beginning of this week. In other words, six weeks after the news of the breakup. The reporter also linked the decision to separate to Pep's contract extension with Manchester City, until 2027. Something called "negligence" on the part of the coach.

The Spanish media has been covering the matter with fervor also due to the astronomical amounts involved in the process. It is worth noting that the coach has an estimated fortune of 117 million euros (more than R$ 730 million at the current exchange rate).

Guardiola's renewal with City

Pep's contract with Manchester City, the club he has been in charge of since 2016, only lasted until June, but he decided to renew it in November. In a decision that cost him a significant part of his personal life, the coach signed with the English club for two more seasons, that is, until the end of the 2026/27 competitions.

Spanish newspaper Sport attributed this agreement with City to the end of the 30-year relationship with Cristina Serra. This is because the designer had agreed with the coach that the family would leave England in 2025, as planned in the last renewal. She had already been spending more time in Barcelona with her children - which contributed to the separation between the two.

Serra had long been undisputed about his dissatisfaction with the coach's excessive dedication to his career, neglecting, in his view, his family life. After the renewal, Cristina understood that she would continue to lose space in the relationship and reached her limit.

It is not possible to say to what extent personal problems interfere in the professional fluctuations at the helm of City, but the dejection is noticeable. Eliminated from the Champions League in the playoffs and fifth in the Premier League, Pep admits the team feels like it is 'end of cycle'.

City have lost four of their last six games, conceding 14 goals to their 10. Their worst defeats were certainly those that cost them a place in the Champions League knockout stages, against Real Madrid, 6-3 on aggregate.

"A little bit, yes (end of cycle). Not everything lasts forever. We won six Premier League titles in seven years, and in the Champions League we reached the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final every year," he said.

Relationship with Cristina Serra

Pep and Cristina met in Barcelona and had been together since 1994, but only made their union official 20 years later, in 2014, during a private ceremony. Together, the two raised three children: Maria, 24, Marius, 22, and Valentina, 17. Their relationship inspired fans, especially in Spain, where they were constantly treated as a "reference" when it came to matters related to their love lives.

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