In the 2009-10 Europa League, Everton had already secured qualification before hosting BATE Borisov. David Moyes made nine changes, with Mustafi among the substitutes.
The young defender replaced Tony Hibbert after Alyaksandr Yurevich had scored the only goal in a 1-0 defeat. It was Mustafi’s sole senior appearance for Everton. He remained an unused substitute on nine more occasions across the following two seasons, but a regular first-team opportunity never arrived.
Born in Bad Hersfeld to a Macedonian Albanian family, Mustafi had joined Everton’s academy after spells in Germany. He had reportedly turned down interest from Manchester City and Newcastle United, but his route to senior football lay elsewhere.
Mustafi eventually asked Moyes to let him leave and joined Sampdoria on a free transfer in January 2012. The start was slow, but by the 2013-14 campaign he had established himself in the Italian club’s defence.
That progress earned him a place in Joachim Löw’s Germany squad. Mustafi made his international debut against Poland on 13 May 2014, then travelled to Brazil for the World Cup.
He featured against Portugal and Ghana before starting the last-16 tie with Algeria. A torn muscle fibre in his left thigh ended his tournament after 70 minutes, leaving him to watch as Germany defeated France, Brazil and Argentina on the way to the title.
Mustafi joined Valencia later that summer before returning to the Premier League with Arsenal in 2016. He later played for Schalke and Levante, but prolonged injury problems eventually brought his playing career to an end.
Released in 2023, Mustafi retired the following year and has since moved into coaching with Germany’s Under-17 side. His next chapter will be watched for the same resilience that carried him from a brief Everton cameo to football’s biggest stage.