There are dreams, and there are goals. There are bets, and there are investments. For Dan and Ryan Friedkin, Rome and AS Roma are a little bit of all of these. When they decided to enter the world of soccer, they did so with a single ambition: to start with the city that holds the richest history in the world and transform what they saw as an uncut diamond into a jewel capable of shining like no other.

It took time to find their footing. Soccer — especially in Italy — has unwritten rules that can only be learned through firsthand experience. And ideas alone were not enough: They also required a great deal of money. Along the way, there were inevitably some missteps, the result of questionable decisions. Nearly $700 million was needed to acquire the club, followed by more than $1 billion spent on operating costs and building a team that has also made splashy moves in the transfer market, from the hiring of José Mourinho to the signing of Paulo Dybala.

But a little more than six years after taking over the club from fellow American James Pallotta, Roma increasingly resembles what Dan and Ryan Friedkin envisioned when they first entered the picture. The club has finally returned to the Champions League after a six-season wait. It has the first Conference League title in its history, won in 2022, and only a controversial refereeing decision kept it from completing a European double in the Europa League in 2023.

Now the team is in the Serie A title race, molded in the image of Gian Piero Gasperini after a summer spent under the weight of Financial Fair Play restrictions. Yet the club showed its determination to retain all its stars, ensuring continuity and ambition on the field.

There has also been a major addition at the corporate level: John Galantic, the club’s new CEO. An Italian American with extensive international experience — he has also served as CEO of Tod’s and Chanel — Galantic was strongly backed by the Friedkin family and will serve as the link between the ownership group and the club.

And, above all, there is what once seemed like an impossible dream but is now a concrete goal that will soon become reality: Roma will have its own stadium. The project was officially confirmed Sept. 29, with groundbreaking scheduled for March 2027 in Pietralata.

The roughly $1.5 billion project represents a major investment by the Friedkin family. The futuristic stadium could generate nearly 250% more stadium revenue than in previous years, while also bringing additional income from surrounding activities and triggering an unprecedented boom in sponsorship opportunities in the region.

It is the decisive step toward putting Rome and AS Roma at the center of the global soccer map — and beyond.

In short, the best is yet to come. The Friedkin era with Roma is only just beginning.