Francesco Merighi, the pioneering digital entrepreneur

Between dreams, projects and favourite places in Dubai

Where did your passion for all things digital come from?

I had a dream: to create a global community that could overcome social barriers and bring people together regardless of distance and language differences. We thought sport might be the shared passion that could make the dream come true. I returned to Italy and together we began building the first multilingual publishing platform. And that was the start of Goal.com, which has become the world’s largest football website, translated into 25 languages.

The standout project you’re working on at the moment?

It’s called the Capello Index and it brings artificial intelligence into the world of sport to create a system that can assess the performance of players on the basis of a proprietary algorithm that combines statistics (developed in three years of research) with the professional experience of the great expert Fabio Capello. The system can provide an accurate vision of what’s happening on the field, but at the moment it’s not accessible by the public.

What do you like most about Dubai?

Having visited the city a number of times, during Covid I spent an extended period here, and that’s when I started falling in love with the place. I’ve found a country that stands out for its efficiency, vision, openness to the world, serenity, safety and hospitality. Not to mention the sunshine, which I consider to be a source of great energy and happiness for human beings.

Your favourite hotel in the city?

For me, Jumeirah Al Qasr is still the perfect resort, with the optimum combination of refined, elegant taste and excellent facilities.

The perfect place for an after-dinner drink?

Socialista, the Cipriani cub, and Zuma.

What’s your advice for someone visiting the city for the first time?

Don’t limit yourself to the classic sites, but go and watch the sunset at Jumeirah, take a bike ride to Kite Beach or spend a night camping in the desert.

All these will allow you to discover a more genuine side to the city.