Rocco Commisso has done a lot of deals in his time. But when he finally had the chance to buy Italian soccer club Fiorentina, it was one of his quickest. “From letter of intent, I think it was less than two and a half weeks before I did signing and closing,” he told me in an interview. “We signed and closed on the same day, which means I didn't do any due diligence between signing the contract and closing on the contract, which typically takes two or three months.”

Commisso, worth an estimated $5 billion, according to Forbes, is the founder and CEO of cable company Mediacom and chairman of U.S. soccer club New York Cosmos. At age 12, he immigrated to America from Italy, and he has made no secret of his desire to own an Italian soccer team.