Newly announced Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola, 45, has been labelled the most fashionable man in football, and the Spanish media have credited his elegant wife, Cristina Serra as a key influence.
Daily Mail reports that Pep’s wife’s family run an upmarket boutique called Serra Claret in Barcelona, which sells designer labels such as D Squared and Armani.
According to the report, before her husband’s football career took them abroad to clubs such as Brescia in Italy and Al-Ahli in Qatar, Cristina was seen working on the shop floor and serving at the till.
Indeed it was at Serra Claret where the couple first met. An 18-year-old Pep visited the store while modelling for the Spanish designer Antonio Miro before his footballing career took off.
Pep went on to play as a defensive midfielder at Barcelona before moving into management following his retirement. Since taking up coaching in 2007, he’s become noted for his touchline outfits ranging from jeans and a rolled up shirt to expensive tailored suits.
Male style bible GQ declared that the Premier League is now the most stylish soccer league in the world, thanks to Pep’s appointment, praising his slim cut trousers and love of bright colours.
Pep and Cristina didn’t get married until May 2014 when they tied the knot in a discreet ceremony in Catalonia attended by their three children and both sets of parents.
Already the best-paid manager in world football, Pep penned a three-year deal worth more than £15million a year – an increase on his salary at his current post as manager of Bayern Munich.
