← All stories
De Laurentiis and Friedkin: family business, different paths in football
·24 October 2026·3d ago

De Laurentiis and Friedkin: family business, different paths in football

Source: Forza Roma

Napoli v Roma puts Aurelio De Laurentiis and Dan Friedkin face to face, two club owners linked by a love of film and the idea of the club as a family legacy, but very different in their finances and their approach to running a football club. The comparison, written by Marco Iaria in La Gazzetta dello Sport, shows that the pair are not economically comparable. De Laurentiis built his business around cinema before turning to football, while the Texan made most of his fortune elsewhere.

Friedkin's main source of wealth is Gulf States Toyota, the exclusive distributor in five American states, which recorded sales of $14.5 billion in 2025. It is one of the most profitable independent Toyota distributors in the world. Those different financial bases are reflected in how the two clubs are run. De Laurentiis imposed self-sufficiency on Napoli from the start. He took over the club in 2004 from the bankruptcy receivership using a €32 million credit line from UniCredit, which the club repaid within three years.

Between summer 2020 and December 2025, Friedkin invested €1,060 million in Roma: €199 million to acquire the majority stake from Pallotta, €37 million to buy the remaining shares on the stock market, and €824 million to fund the club's running costs. The accounts have always been in deficit, although the gap has been steadily shrinking. Looking ahead, the new Pietralata stadium has received final authorisation, with its opening scheduled for 2029. De Laurentiis, by contrast, is still behind schedule on his own stadium plans.

● AI Generated Summary

This summary was generated by an AI model. Always read the source for complete and accurate information.

Testo Originale / Source Text

“C'è un filo conduttore, il cinema, e c'è l'idea del club come patrimonio di famiglia, ma ci sono anche tante differenze. Napoli-Roma mette di fronte Aurelio De Laurentiis e Dan Friedkin. Due figure non paragonabili economicamente, perché se ADL ha legato il suo business fondamentalmente al cinema…”

Read the full article in Italian at Forza Roma.

Read original on Forza Roma →

More Club News

Mancini reaches 250 Serie A appearances for Roma
Serie AClub News● AI
6h ago

Mancini reaches 250 Serie A appearances for Roma

Gianluca Mancini made his 250th Serie A appearance for Roma in the 9th matchday fixture against Cagliari. The milestone makes him the first defender to reach 250 Serie A appearances in the giallorossi shirt in the three-points-for-a-win era, which began in 1994-95. Mancini, a Tuscan centre-back, has been with the club since July 2019, as per the club's squad records. Reaching the mark on home soil against Cagliari underlines his long service and consistency in the Roma defence under head coach Gian Piero Gasperini. The record is the club's own benchmark for defenders in the modern league format, and it places Mancini at the top of that list for the Roman side. Roma remain focused on building momentum in the domestic campaign.

Giallini on balancing set filming with Roma matches, and the Perfetti sconosciuti anecdote
Club News● AI
10h ago

Giallini on balancing set filming with Roma matches, and the Perfetti sconosciuti anecdote

Actor Marco Giallini, a well-known Roma fan, has described how he juggled filming commitments with his club's matches, telling the podcast Nonlofaccioxmoda that when Roma were playing, filming simply did not happen. Asked by interviewer Giulia Salemi how he managed to reconcile set commitments with Giallorossi fixtures, he answered without hesitation: "No, e chi gira!" ("No way, who's filming?"). Giallini recalled an episode during the shooting of the film Perfetti sconosciuti. Several members of the crew were rival supporters, including the director of photography and Paolo Genovese. Giallini and Mastandrea were watching the match, but their friends were ahead by 30 seconds because they were watching on television, while Giallini and Mastandrea were following it on a computer. The film needed a goal to progress, and the rivalry on set became heated. Giallini said: "Ao, aspetta un attimo!" when the crew called them back to shoot. He then continued: "Dovevamo fare un gol per passare il turno e a un certo punto sento uno dei due amici dire: 'No, fagliela guardare'." The remark immediately told him how the match would end. "E lì ho pensato: 'Non vengo più, me ne vado'. Me ne volevo andare. Io e Mastandrea ce ne siamo andati. È stata la cosa più brutta che ho ricevuto da due amici fraterni." The episode ended with the crew calling them back: "Ma dove andate? Stiamo girando un filmone!" ("Where are you going? We're shooting a great film!").

Wesley under the spotlight again over cash, supercars and social media posts
Club NewsSquad News● AI
19h ago

Wesley under the spotlight again over cash, supercars and social media posts

Il Messaggero has published a further look at the social media habits of Roma winger Wesley, focusing on displays of wealth, luxury cars and controversial episodes from his time at Flamengo, days after his wife Amanda Martins announced their separation on social media and accused him of repeated infidelity. The newspaper highlights one of the player's recent TikTok posts, showing stacks of 50-euro banknotes and two luxury watches placed in front of a gaming setup. The images drew attention from users and raised questions about publicly displaying high-value items. Il Messaggero notes that it is not known whether the banknotes shown are genuine or replicas. The newspaper also points to the security risks such displays could carry. In September 2025, thieves reportedly tried to break into the player's villa. In early October, Wesley showed his car collection on social media, and a few days later he was photographed behind the wheel of his Lamborghini at Ponte Milvio. Earlier content had also drawn interest over the summer, including a July video in which the Brazilian showed his wife virtual accessories he had bought for a video game, among them a digital knife costing more than 2,000 euros. Il Messaggero also revisits earlier incidents from his time in Brazil. In March 2024, while playing for Flamengo, Wesley was reported to police by a businessman over an alleged assault at a beach kiosk. The player rejected the accusation and gave a different account of the episode. In August of the same year, a video showing him at a nightclub after a defeat to Botafogo caused controversy. The report comes the day after Amanda Martins's harsh outburst on social media, in which she announced the separation and accused her husband of repeated infidelity. Those accusations are her version of events and have not been established as fact. The newspaper's main question is whether these off-pitch matters could in future affect Wesley's performances on the field. That remains a concern rather than an established consequence, as the Brazilian continues to be an important asset for Gasperini's Roma.

GialloRossi.netRead original →
Feedback