Former Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola made an impassioned speech to his players after splitting from his wife Cristina Serra. The split, which became public in January 2025, occurred during the 2024/25 season. Guardiola, who left City in May, has since begun to reconcile with Serra, whom he called "the most beautiful woman on the planet."
Behind-the-Scenes Footage
After a Champions League defeat to Juventus in December 2024, Guardiola spoke to his players about his personal life. The speech is featured in the new Prime Video documentary 'A Beautiful Obsession', which follows Guardiola and City across his last two seasons at the Etihad Stadium.
"Guys, I want to confess something," Guardiola told his players. "I'm f***ing divorced, from the most beautiful woman on the planet. It's my wife. My ex-wife. I love her unbelievably. But we lost the passion. For many reasons, we lost the passion."
Playing with Passion
Guardiola emphasized the importance of passion in football. "I love her? Yeah, absolutely. She loves me? Yeah. But we lost the passion. How do you play football? Because you play, or because you have something inside? Where is the passion? In your life, whatever you are going to do, do it with passion. I don't want good players, I want players with passion."
The Catalan manager, 55, was in a relationship with Serra for 30 years before their 2024 split, 10 of those as a married couple. The couple have three children together and were said to remain on amicable terms, reportedly using the same lawyer for divorce proceedings for the sake of their kids.
Final Game Emotions
Serra attended Guardiola's final game in charge of City in May 2026. He spoke about the emotional significance of the occasion. "It was so difficult," he said. "As always you have the game and your focus is with that, but of course the emotions, especially for my dad, 95, being there. Cris, the most important woman of my life, and my kids being there, it was so special for me."
'A Beautiful Obsession' launches exclusively on Prime Video in UK & Ireland on August 19, 2026.
