Pep Guardiola’s eldest daughter has broken her silence following the Manchester City boss’s shock split with his wife Cristina Serra.
In her first ever interview, Maria Guardiola, a model and influencer, spoke lovingly about her parents – joking that she had inherited her father’s ‘stubbornness’ while her ‘confidence and sense of independence’ comes from her mother.
The 24-year-old’s mother and father, who were together for three decades and married in 2014, are yet to comment on the separation after it was revealed on Monday night.
Maria, who has two younger siblings Marius, 22, and Valentina, 17, grew up bouncing around from city to city – being born in Barcelona before moving to Rome, New York, Munich, Manchester and now London.
‘Following my dad around the world to watch games gave me special memories and brought the family together,’ she explained to Vanity Fair.
‘I feel incredibly grateful for the experiences I’ve had,’ she added. ‘Although it was sometimes a challenge, my parents made the transitions easier and helped my siblings and me take advantage of opportunities.’
Maria did not comment on her parent’s split and no reason for the divorce has been given, however, on Tuesday a friend of Pep’s told MailOnline his ‘workaholic’ tenandcies were to blame.
‘I think the couple have drawn apart. She left Manchester about three years ago to return to Barcelona. That has taken its toll,’ the source, who asked not to be named, said.
‘He is a total workaholic and not being involved in their family fashion business together may have affected their relationship too.’
Indeed back in 2016, the Man City boss acknowledged that sometimes he was left in his ‘own world’ thinking about his team’s tactical decision for the next game.
‘My family know that I am there but I am not there. Sometimes I’m at home but not at home,’ he told the Times in 2016. ‘They call ‘Pep, Pep’ but they know I am in my own world.’
Even while he was playing for Barcelona FC, his teammates called him ‘Perfecto’ due to his obsession with the game and his disapproval of his fellow players who put their social life first.
A few years ago his friend Manel Estiarte said: ‘You invite him for a meal in a restaurant, but after 32 minutes you can see his mind is already wandering.
‘He starts staring at the ceiling and, although he’s nodding as if he’s listening to you, he’s not looking at you. In actual fact he’s probably thinking about the opposition left-back, the marking scheme for the midfielder, how much the wingers can support the inside forwards.’
It is unclear when his daughter Maria carried out the interview with Vanity Fair, however, it is believed to have taken place after her parents decided to split.
Reflecting on how her father’s career had shaped the family’s life she added: ‘My father was already playing when I was born. All our movements have focused on his career, first as a player and then as a coach.
‘Soccer has shaped much of our family’s journey. In many ways, my family and I owe our lives and opportunities to this sport and, of course, to my father’s exceptional talent and passion.’
And as Pep’s career continued to flourish, winning a record four straight Premier League titles and a historic Champions League win, Cristina decided to continue on her family’s business back in Spain.
Cristina and the couple’s youngest child moved back to Barcelona in 2019 so that the Brazilian journalist turned fashion designer could help continue her family boutique Serra-Claret.
