the groomsmen
este
Best Man
Most Likely to Call Rafa 15 Times in One Day
Este met Rafa five years ago when Tommy organized what was allegedly a “work trip” to Costa Rica. Somewhere between questionable decision-making and good times, Este decided Rafa needed to move to the U.S. and work for him. Rafa listened… and the rest is history.
Ever since, Este has taken partial responsibility for Rafa’s success and wellbeing — although now he happily reminds everyone that Rafa is officially Ciera’s problem.
Este is wildly generous, fiercely loyal, and always ready to go to battle for his friends. He also calls Rafa about 15 times a day, mostly to discuss drama he definitely claims he’s “not involved in.”
Known For: Calling Rafa 15 times a day “just to check in.”
Also Goes By: The Don
tommy
Most Likely Responsible for This Entire Wedding
Tommy and Rafa met in college at the University of Dayton when Rafa had just moved from Costa Rica and the two of them joined the soccer team. They quickly became roommates, teammates, and partners in a long list of questionable decisions.
At first, Tommy’s mom wasn’t Rafa’s biggest fan — mostly because Rafa showed up and started being very good at soccer. Luckily she came around quickly, and before long Tommy’s family became Rafa’s American family and still are to this day.
Off the field, Tommy and Rafa share a long-standing tradition of getting together, getting absolutely wrecked, and eventually taking a nap wherever gravity wins — couches, floors, docks, you name it- but Tommy has actually played a pretty pivotal role in Rafa’s life. He’s the reason Rafa ended up in Columbus in the first place, and he’s also the one who introduced Rafa to Este — which eventually led to Rafa moving back to the U.S. So depending on how you look at it, Tommy may or may not be responsible for this entire wedding.
Known For: Fragile hamstrings, unsolicited disturbing pics, and accidentally changing Rafa’s life.
Also Goes By: Thumb, Pickles, Thomas
karlo
Most Likely to Win the Argument
Karlo and Rafa go all the way back to high school in Costa Rica, where their friendship was built on soccer, video games, and a healthy amount of competitive trash talk. Karlo is also the man responsible for teaching Rafa how to play FIFA — a skill that quickly became a very serious part of their friendship.
When the world shut down during COVID, Karlo and Rafa spent most of their time doing what they do best: playing video games and keeping each other entertained through the chaos.
Karlo is now a lawyer, which makes perfect sense considering he has never lost an argument in his life and will happily debate anyone, anytime, about anything.
When he’s not winning arguments, Karlo is usually the guy who knows the best spots to visit anywhere in the world. If you’ve ever gotten a great restaurant, bar, or travel recommendation from Rafa, there’s a good chance it originally came from Karlo.
Known For: Winning debates and drinking something called a Dimitri
Also Goes By: KS, Caese, Flaco, Larlo
jp
Most Likely to Turn Everything Into a Competition
JP and Rafa met in high school in Costa Rica where they quickly became soccer brothers, playing at the highest level together. For years, the two of them were constantly compared over one very important question: who was actually the better player. The debate is still ongoing. But JP is an elite trash talker and has never met a competitive situation he didn’t immediately turn into a full-blown rivalry.
These days JP is a dentist by profession, but unofficially the “street pharmacist” of the friend group. If someone needs something — advice, medicine, or a solution to a problem — JP somehow has it covered.
JP also has a tendency to go all in on anything he does. Whether it’s sports, work, hobbies, or a night out, moderation has never really been his thing.
Known For: Elite trash talk
Also Goes By: Jotape, Pierre, Pierrna, Javi, Jon Pierre
juanda
Most Likely to Talk Soccer With a Stranger
Juanda is Rafa’s older brother and the original influence behind a lot of Rafa’s personality — for better or worse.
He’s the reason Rafa fell in love with soccer in the first place, developed a lifelong obsession with Real Madrid, and learned to appreciate a proper Argentinian grill. As the older brother, Juanda also took it upon himself to teach Rafa many important life skills… including how to drink beer correctly.
If there’s one thing Juanda loves more than anything, it’s soccer. He will happily talk about the game with anyone, anywhere, at any time — whether you asked or not.
And if at any point during the wedding you see someone enthusiastically handing out shots of Fire Monkey, congratulations — you’ve found Juanda.
Known For: Real Madrid loyalty
Also Goes By: JD
tebi
Most Likely to Show Up Late to the Wedding
Tebi (wait for it…) played soccer with Rafa.
The two of them were an absolute problem on the field, forming a duo that had great chemistry and made life difficult for anyone trying to defend them. They eventually went on to play professionally together, which is a pretty good indicator that the connection worked.
Outside of soccer, Tebi is also the resident skateboarding master of the group and will almost certainly be the tallest person at the wedding, which will make him easy to spot.
Known For: Being 6’5
Also Goes By: Tebian
joao
Most Likely to Win at Smash Bros
Rafa met Jaoa in high school, and before long Jaoa became the pioneer of many of Rafa’s life experiences.
Together they checked off a number of important milestones, including Rafa’s first time getting drunk, his first time puking from getting drunk, and spending their first New Year’s Eve on the coast together, and watching the 2014 World Cup together.
If they’re not debating anime or quoting scenes from Game of Thrones or Lord of the Rings, there’s a good chance they’re battling each other in Super Smash Bros.
Jaoa has always been one of Rafa’s go-to friends for late-night gaming sessions, nerd debates, and the occasional questionable life decision.
Known For: Introducing Rafa to several of his first bad decisions.
Also Goes By: Yao, Juanma
tefo
Most Likely to Fix the Wi-Fi
Tefo is Rafa’s oldest friend, and the two of them go all the way back to kindergarten. They also grew up as neighbors, which means they’ve basically spent their entire lives within walking distance of each other.
Unlike most of the guys in this group, Tefo and Rafa did NOT meet through soccer — which honestly might be the most unique thing about him in this lineup.
Their friendship was built more on late nights watching anime, playing video games, and generally being computer nerds together. Tefo has always been the tech brain of the group and the guy who actually understands how computers work.
Known For: Being Rafa’s oldest friend
Also Goes By: Tefolas, Folas, Folians
emi
Most Likely to Host the Party
Rafa met Emi in high school through JP, and before long Emi’s house became the unofficial headquarters for the friend group.
Growing up, Emi had the legendary party house, and not much has changed — he’s still the one hosting most of the gatherings to this day.
On the soccer field, Emi held down the goalkeeper position, which means he spent most games watching his friends miss defensive assignments and then blaming him for it.
In real life he’s an industrial engineer, but within the friend group he’s better known for being the guy who gets roasted the most — and somehow still keeps showing up for more.
During COVID, Emi’s house also became the place where everyone gathered to watch Champions League games while “working remotely.” Productivity levels were… questionable
Known For: Saying he’s busy when he’s not and hosting the best parties
Also Goes By: Miñer, Miños, Siñor
tobal
Most Likely to Know How to Fix It
Tobal is one of Rafa’s oldest friends — the two met in third grade and have basically grown up side by side ever since.
Over the years they did a little bit of everything together: playing soccer, trading Pokémon cards, skateboarding, and generally causing the kind of trouble that lifelong friends tend to get into.
These days Tobal lives in the U.S. and works in home remodeling, which him and Rafa have in common. Rafa still goes to him often for construction advice, making Tobal one of the few people in the group who might actually know what he’s doing when it comes to building things.
Back in the skateboarding days, though, Tobal had one controversial habit: he was a mongo pusher — something real skateboarders will absolutely never let you forget.
Known For: Construction advice and a questionable skateboarding stance.
Also Goes By: Chris, Cristobal, Tobalist