PEP is the football manager who has shattered numerous records while on the field and is aiming to break still another.
As the second half of the Premier League season gets underway, 53-year-old Pep Guardiola of Manchester City is aiming for a record-breaking fourth championship, which would further solidify his place among the league’s all-time greats.
Pep Guardiola is considered to be one of the greatest football managers of all time
The Manchester City manager celebrating his UEFA Champions League victory in June last year with his wife Cristina Serra
Prior to taking on the role of head coach, he was a player with FC Barcelona, where he was a key member of Johan Cruyff’s renowned “Dream Team,” in addition to later teams like Roma and the Spanish national team.
However, Pep has excelled even more throughout his tenure as manager, making history by being the only one to win the continental treble twice.
Pep has supposedly amassed an enormous wealth thanks to it; the Blues pay him £19.7 million a year and he is reportedly worth £100 million.
Currently, the topic of a recent BBC documentary about Pep Guardiola is: In Chasing Perfection, we take a peek at the manager’s opulent life off the field with his three kids and wife Cristina.
Doomed fleet of cars
Even though Pep has operated a variety of lustrous vehicles, he is well known for not being the best driver in the world.
Since joining Man City in February 2016, he has damaged cars totaling £460,000, as we revealed last year.
Among them were a £150,000 Range Rover, an £80,000 black Mercedes GLE, a £30,000 Mini Cooper, a £200,000 silver Bentley, and a £X700.
“Pep is brilliant at many things, but driving doesn’t seem to be one of them; he has struggled with Manchester’s roads and had a couple of bumps,” a source added.
In their 2019 book Pep’s City: The Making Of A Superteam, authors Lu Martin and Pol Ballus went into greater detail about the manager’s motor-related ineptitude.
They stated, “This is his fourth car since coming to Manchester, and he has a reputation from his Barcelona days of being a hapless driver.”
“He’s also managed to mangle a silver Bentley and fill a diesel Range Rover with petrol, and his wing mirrors don’t last very long.”
Jet-setting holidays
Pep took a no-expense-spared holiday to Egypt with his wife and three kids
He was showered with gifts during the trip including being given a King Tut mask replica
Pep celebrated his 2023 Premier League, UEFA Champions League, and FA Cup victories with a trip to Egypt with Cristina and their three children, Maria (age 23), Marius (age 21), and Valentina (age 16).
After two days in Cairo, they traveled to Aswan and Luxor for six days, spending time at the Great Pyramid of Giza and the Sphinx.
Pep received numerous presents on the trip, including a clone of King Tutankhamun’s mask, and enjoyed lunch at a hotel with a view of the pyramids.
Nisreen Othmanli from Egypt’s tourism board told Arab News, “We welcomed him with flowers, souvenirs and promotional material about various Egyptian tourist and archaeological sites.”
After winning his fourth Premier League title in 2022, Pep and Cristina treated themselves to a lavish vacation to Barbados.
On a picture-perfect white sand beach, he was spotted enjoying the waves before withdrawing to an upscale resort.
In the same year, he was spotted in Venice, Italy, on a romantic boat ride, dining at upscale establishments and perusing pricey stores.
Pep spent some time with his family in 2016 before joining Man City. They cruised along the coast of Ibiza on a luxury yacht.
£11m properties
Pep has a £2.7m luxury apartment in City Suites, which is located in Salford, Greater Manchester
He has access to an 18-metre indoor spa pool along with sauna facilities
Pep made a big statement on one of the most costly homes in Greater Manchester that year.
He paid £2.7 million for an opulent flat in Salford’s “most desirable address,” the City Suites, which was close to a plethora of upscale boutiques, eateries, and wine bars.
Pep was granted access to a luxurious spa and sauna area, an 18-meter indoor spa pool, and a 24-hour gym as part of the agreement.
Two private parking spaces, a round-the-clock concierge service, dry cleaning, and entry to a special executive lounge were among the additional advantages.
Pep’s apartment is located in what is thought to be two of the hotel’s sixteen storeys in a private area. Also, visitors have the option to book rooms by the night or for extended stays.
Given that the majority of football players from Manchester City and United choose to reside in lush Cheshire, which is renowned for its expansive homes in the countryside, it was regarded as an uncommon choice.
Though she excels in many areas, my wife is particularly talented in the fashion industry. I follow her when she says things to me like, “Don’t wear this or that.”
Guardiola, Pep
Pep also paid £8.55 million in 2021 for an 8,000-square-foot mansion in Barcelona’s most affluent neighborhood, Pedarlbes.
With amazing views of the city, the gorgeous white mansion is perched in the foothills of Sant Pere Màrtir mountain.
It has a large private swimming pool, an elegant kitchen, a roomy living area, and balconies on two of the stories to enjoy the view of the gorgeous surroundings.
In 2012, Pep took a one-year professional vacation and lived in an opulent £19,500-a-month condominium overlooking Central Park in New York.
Former residents of the Upper West Side building include Barbara Streisand and David Duchovny, star of the television series X-Files.
The flat had four bedrooms, a bathroom, and a study where the manager allegedly studied German before joining Bayern Munich.
Wardrobe fit for a model
Pep doesn’t always stick to stuffy suits on the sidelines of the pitch
Pep modelling in the Nineties for a Catalonian fashion brand
At the Etihad Stadium, Pep has established a reputation for style by frequently donning branded jumpers and turtlenecks rather than stodgy suits.
His characteristic grey “hoodigan,” allegedly costing £1,200, was created by Theresa May’s preferred Italian designer, Herno, and is included in his ensemble.
The enormous item, which the fans believe “lucky,” was spotted on the manager thirty times between the beginning of the 2019 season and May.
Pep has also been shown wearing sweaters and a variety of objects with the letter “P” on them in “MDCR,” which is shorthand for “Madchester.”
He disclosed earlier this month that his wife Cristina, whom he met while posing for designer clothing in Serra Claret, a Barcelona fashion boutique owned by her family, makes all of his wardrobe decisions.
“My wife is the best in the world at many things, but fashion is her specialty,” he declared. I follow her when she says things to me like, “Don’t wear this or that.”
“Her advice is really good, and I am smart enough to know that when people are much better than me, you should heed them.”
It’s possible that he is downplaying his own fashion sense, though. In nostalgic photos from the 1990s, Pep could be seen playing for Barcelona and modeling for Antonio Miró on the catwalk.
Within days of the event, it was said that every item designed by the Catalan designer was sold out.
Priceless watches
The manager has a number of expensive luxury watches
Pep’s passion for style doesn’t end there; he also possesses an amazing assortment of timepieces.
One of them, which he was seen wearing on a golf course, was a Richard Mille (RM) RM 27-01 Tourbillon Rafael Nadal, which only comes with ten in the world and costs approximately £590,000.
A £455,000 RM 022 Tourbillon Aerodyne, a £75,000 RM 010 “Manchester City,” and the RM 004 All Gray, which costs more than £150,000, are among the other extremely expensive watches shown on his wrist.
Pep was spotted wearing an RM 67-02 watch last year; these watches normally retail for £228,000, but Pep’s was an unofficial United Arab Emirates edition.
In addition, he has been spotted wearing a £12,500 Rolex Cellini and a £55,000 Patek Philippe Annual Calendar Chronograph 5905P.
£500k wine collection
Pep is known to be a wine lover but splashed out a whopping £200k on Spanish reds in 2021
Outside of the field, it appears that the Man City manager enjoys red wines in secret.
According to reports from 2021, Pep spent £200,000 for the best vintage bottles from a Spanish vineyard and is known to have a glass or two after football games.
According to sources close to The Daily Star, he may have spent up to £500,000 on expensive red wines, such as the finest Riojas, highly sought-after Priorat, and Dibera del Duero brands.
According to a source, “His primary interest is in collecting fine vintages, which he views as investments.” He not only knows his thing, but he also enjoys a good bottle of wine.
For his restaurant Tast Catalia, which he established in Manchester in 2018 with two Man City directors, Pep apparently had his eye on some of the fancier reds.
He once declared that watching World Cup games “at home with red wine” was the “best way to enjoy” them.