Guardiola and wife 'start divorce proceedings' after being together for 30 years

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola and his wife have started divorce proceedings but are reportedly 'using the same lawyer' to make sure it is amicable.

The millionaire soccer boss and fashion entrepreneur Cristina Serra are said to have already agreed the initial terms of their settlement agreement after news of their shock split became public last month.

And friends are indicating they are determined to stay on friendly terms for the sake of their three children and avoid an ugly court battle at all costs.

Lorena Vazquez, one of a duo of well-respected Spanish showbiz reporters who call themselves the Mamarazzis, went on a national TV show on Monday to say they had launched divorce proceedings six weeks after it emerged Pep and Cristina had decided to call time on their 30-year relationship.

Lorena linked the split once again to the Man City manager's unexpected decision last November to renew his contract with the Premier League club for another two years.

Cristina returned to Barcelona with their youngest child in 2019 to focus on her business interests and is said to have decided 'enough was enough' after learning about Pep's decision to stay in the UK until 2027.

Lorena confirmed the pair had initiated 'amicable' divorce proceedings through the same lawyer.

She told Spanish TV programme 'Y Ahora Sonsoles': '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, 53, 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 last month 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.'

Pep and Cristina's only son Marius, 22, has just opened his fourth shoe store in Dubai under the Newcop brand.

Spanish press reporting on the opening late last week said it had brought Pep and Cristina 'maximum happiness.'