Football

PEP GUARDIOLA’S wife has broken her silence following her split from the Manchester City manager to insist she’s “feeling great”.Cristina Serra looked a picture of happiness as she shopped alone in Barcelona a week after news of the couple’s shock break-up emerged.Cristina Serra has broken her silence on her split from Man City boss Pep GuardiolaCredit: GettyShe smiled as she was approached by a Spanish reporter in the city centre showing off a stylish look of white trainers and loose-fitting grey trousers with a designer handbag slung over the left shoulder of her cream-coloured coat.Asked how she was doing, the mum-of-three replied: ‘Perfecta, gracias’ – ‘Perfect, thanks’ in English.She added: “Everything’s fine” when quizzed again about her frame of mind.But the pretty brunette opted for silence when she was asked about speculation the cause of their breakup had been Guardiola’s decision to stay at Manchester City and sign a two-year contract extension with his club.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLLorena Vazquez and fellow Spanish journalist Laura Fa, who make up a duo of well-respected showbiz reporters called the Mamarazzis, broke the story of the couple’s split at the start of last week.Days later they claimed in a Podcast fashion entrepreneur Cristina had decided “enough was enough” after learning Pep had U-turned on a decision to quit Britain and was going to stay in his current job until 2027.The 52-year-old, who was still visiting her husband in his adopted city until last summer despite returning to Barcelona in 2019 with their youngest daughter Valentina, now 17, to focus on her business interests, looked straight ahead as she was asked to comment on the claims and carried on walking.She finished the brief exchange with a polite ‘Thank you’ as she entered a clothes store she had been heading towards.Most read in FootballCristina’s first words about her feelings following the break-up showed her apparent determination to continue with her life as normal instead of holing up in the £8.4million home in the upmarket Barcelona neighbourhood of Pedralbes the couple purchased in 2021.She moved into the property two years after leaving Manchester and Catalan press initially seized on the house purchase, made public in June 2021, as a sign 54-year-old Guardiola could be planning a return to Barcelona following Joan Laporta’s election as its president.Man City boss Pep Guardiola’s recen struggles could be a response to the end of his marriage to teenage sweetheart  Cristina SerraLorena Vazquez said last week after breaking news of the split: “After Cristina returned to Barcelona from Manchester in 2019 to focus on her business interests, it’s true that the first rumours about her marriage to Pep surfaced, but no-one dared talking about there being a relationship crisis and much less so a split.“That was until last September which is when those in Pep’s professional circle in Manchester first became surprised at not seeing Cristina in the city following the summer holidays and they began to wonder why she was not in Manchester with him.“It was normal up until then to see Cristina in Manchester from time to time despite the fact she’d stopped living there on a full-time basis in 2019 and was mainly dividing her time between Barcelona and London.“They’d carried on seeing each other and engaging in family activities and they were continuing to be a couple whenever they met up.“Last September Cristina stopped appearing in Manchester.”Colleague Laura Fa added of the break-up: “She takes the decision when he decides to extend his contract with Manchester City because in the previous months Pep had been preparing his departure from the club.“We know one of his objectives was to leave and move to the United Arab Emirates.“People around him were beginning to say goodbye to him because he wasn’t going to renew his contact.“That decision not to renew was helping bring him closer to his wife but when he decided to stay and extend his contract Cristina decided enough was enough and it was her that decided to end the marriage that had lasted so many years.”The pair had been together for 30 years before their splitCredit: RexCristina is back in Barcelona while Guardiola continues to manage CityCredit: Getty – ContributorAt the weekend the Sun reported Guardiola held crisis talks last October with his partner of 30 years at his favourite Barcelona restaurant Bodega Sepulveda before signing the contract extension.A waiter told the paper things “looked a little tense between them.”The couple met in 1994 and married in 2014.Spanish media have insisted Pep and Cristina continue to have a cordial and affectionate relationship and they have not split because of a third person.Their 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 wife of 30 years Cristina Serra 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.”READ MORE SUN STORIESThe 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.” More

BAD news for all the conspiracy theorists out there.Lee Harvey Oswald did kill JFK.Kai Havertz handled against Aston Villa on SaturdayCredit: Sky SportsArsenal fans have been compared with moon-landing deniersCredit: GettyThe moon landings were not faked.And Arsenal’s late ‘winner’ against Aston Villa on Saturday was rightly chalked off.More than 48 hours after it was made abundantly clear to anyone with a working set of eyes that Kai Havertz’s forearm had diverted Mikel Merino’s bouncing strike past Emi Martinez, there were still Arsenal fans swearing that black was white.That’s what happens when you live in an echo chamber — your critical faculties go missing.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLRather than questioning how the Gunners threw away a two-goal lead in the space of eight minutes, it had to be about bias, cheating, robbery.To be fair, without VAR, Arsenal might now be top of the table, rather than six points adrift of Liverpool,  who also have a game in hand.Saturday was the third time this season that the Gunners have had a ‘winning goal’ disallowed after the intervention of Stockley Park.Yet Havertz was clearly offside when he netted  against Chelsea.Gabriel Martinelli went too early before supplying Bukayo Saka in the last few minutes at Fulham.Most read in FootballSUN BINGO GET £50 BONUS & 50 FREE SPINS TODAYAnd on Saturday, the verdict from the video booth was equally clear-cut. Not for everyone, though. The ball “hit his abdomen”. It was “nowhere near his arm”. And best of all, “What else could he do?”Some, it would seem, have still not recognised that ANY attacking handball that leads directly to the ball going into the net means it is automatically wiped out.Arsenal ratings: Trossard turns creator to put Gunners in driving seat but Merino and Partey lapses cost Arteta’s sideArsenal supporters are not alone in concocting a story that fits their ‘Us against the world’ narrative.Indeed, you get the same moans from an awful lot of fans of an awful lot of clubs. Last year, in particular, it was Nottingham Forest.The Gunners, also, have been on the wrong end of some contentious  calls over the past two campaigns.There were a myriad of reasons to rule out Newcastle’s winner at St James’ Park last term, while Bruno Guimaraes was more than lucky to stay on the pitch.The second yellow cards for Declan Rice and Leandro Trossard kicking the ball away against Brighton and Manchester City respectively have not been universally followed by all refs.And the Brighton penalty award at the Amex earlier this month was odd.But, equally, Havertz should have been dismissed in that tempestuous Tyneside clash, Martin Odegaard’s handball in his own box at Liverpool last term was beyond blatant, while Arsenal’s equaliser against Tottenham last week came from a corner that clearly should have been a goal-kick.Arsenal ratings vs Aston VillaArsenal’s title hopes took a huge hit as they threw away a two-goal lead against Aston VillaLeandro Trossard turned provider for the Gunners to set up both goals as it looked like they would cruise to three points.But defensive lapses from two stars cost Arteta’s side dearly.Here is how SunSport’s Jordan Davies rated the players…DAVID RAYA – 6/10Let down by those in front of him for both goals, a duo of close range efforts he had no chance with.MYLES LEWIS-SKELLY – 8With performances like this, he is suddenly the first name on the team sheet for Arteta. So calm and composed for someone so young, and his strength against bigger opposition is scary at times.GABRIEL – 7Made a crucial tackle one-on-one with Watkins and another block from a speedy counterJURRIEN TIMBER – 7Alert to foil counters against the pace of Watkins and coped well in general. It is not his fault that he doesn’t have the defensive presence of Saliba.THOMAS PARTEY – 6A great stint at right back but one lapse in concentration cost Arsenal the lead, losing track of Watkins in the box before he volleyed in.MIKEL MERINO – 6A workman-like performance – won his duels and worked his socks off, but the small details were missing, shanking a good chance well wide in the first half.He then lost his marker to allow Tielemans to head in and make it 2-1. Could have won it at the end with a scuffed effort in off Havertz that VAR chalked off and smacked the post too.DECLAN RICE – 7Integral to everything good about Arsenal and came close with a long-range punt in the second half.MARTIN ODEGAARD – 6A solid display but he is really missing his partner in crime in Saka. He created as much as he could but sometimes needs to be more selfish to drag his team over the line.LEANDRO TROSSARD – 8Deflected effort was comfortable for Martinez but his superb cross made life much harder for the Villa keeper to tee up Martinelli for the opener before blazing over himself.The Belgian racked up his fifth Prem assist of the season in the second half for Havertz.GABRIEL MARTINELLI – 8Threatened at the far post early on, but got his rewards from the same position in the 35th minute with a stabbed effort ahead of Maatsen.KAI HAVERTZ – 8Again, lack of decent service left him living off scraps, but when he got a scrap he fired an effort straight at Martinez from close range.The German more than made up for it after the break with a clinical finish, even if Martinez should have done better. That will do wonders for his confidence.SUBS:RAHEEM STERLING (MARTINELLI, 82) – 6A few darting runs, but added virtually nothing, other than a needless yellow card. A cameo that screamed “lacking confidence”.Seeking to pin the blame on outside factors, rather than the real ones, is creating an excuse culture.Interestingly, Mikel Arteta chose not to go down the rabbit hole.Instead, the Arsenal manager criticised his side’s defending and made clear to the Emirates board that they have to bring in some proper recruits now if they want to keep the season alive.Realistically, Arsenal’s best chance of silverware is by doing what Jurgen Klopp did in 2019 — lifting the Champions League.Arsenal can change three of their European squad for the knockout phase, including stars who have already played for another side in the competition — like Sporting striker Viktor Gyokeres,  Jonathan David of Lille or Juventus ace Dusan Vlahovic.They might also want to get a proper centre-back in to cover for William Saliba as Riccardo Calafiori looks to be made of tissue paper.READ MORE SUN STORIESSometimes you have to speculate to accumulate. This is one of those times for Arsenal. And a time for the supporters to stop trying to see things that simply are not there.By the way, 9/11 was not an inside job. And as for Roswell and Area 51 . . . More