He is one of the most prominent figures in the history of Qatari football and was an integral component of one of Qatar's best-ever national sides in the early 1990s alongside Khalid Salman, Mahmoud Soufi and Adel Khamis.
[2] Mustafa was born in Umm Ghuwailina,[3] a suburb of Doha located near Al Arabi's club headquarters.
Mustafa was spotted by a talent scout while playing in a domestic school league at an early age.
He reached the peak of his career in 1994, when he led the dream team into the finals of the 1994 AFC Champions League, eventually losing to Thai Farmers Bank with a score of 1–0.
His exploits earning him recognition internationally; he represented the Asian XI in a match in 1999 against the Thailand national team.
In 2009, Mubarak Mustafa received the International Olympic Committee's annual ideal player award.
On 17 October 2011, Mustafa played a tribute game in honour of deceased Emirati player Theyab Awana.
Mustafa scored 2 early goals to give him a brace, however the visitors equalized in the second half and eventually narrowly won 7–6.