Malik Mustapha hopes to make his family proud as he begins his NFL journey. And so far he's doing a good job.
The 49ers safety spoke exclusively with KTVU FOX 2's Bailey O'Carroll, where he discussed his upcoming rookie 2024 NFL season with San Francisco and the mature mindset he plays with on the field.
"I always live by a quote: prove yourself right, don't prove other people wrong," Mustapha told O'Carroll. "I don't think I've arrived in any shape or form, but at the same time I feel like I've taken a step in the right direction."
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Mustapha hopes to prove himself right on the field and make his family proud off of it.
The rookie safety told O'Carroll that his younger siblings, Mariam, 10, and Muhamahed, 12, are his primary off-the-field motivation to succeed.
"They came into my life at a young age and changed my life for the better," Mustapha said of his siblings. "I had to be a second mom to them, but I depended on them as much as they depended on me."
Mustapha's siblings live more than 7,800 miles away in Nigeria and have yet to see him play in person, having to watch only his highlights online.
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"I rarely see them, that's why I'm trying to get to a point where I do what I'm supposed to do and get them over here and move them back to the States," Mustapha added.
The 22-year-old told O'Carroll that he hopes his NFL success allows him to one day move his two siblings out to the U.S. to finish school and attend college.
And until he can do so, Mustapha has found a temporary family in Santa Clara thanks to teammate and fellow safety Talanoa Hufanga, who invited the rookie to his daughter's first birthday party this offseason after he was drafted by the 49ers in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft.
"It was nice being around a lot of family, me coming here alone, it's an adjustment, but at the same time I know I am here," Mustapha told O'Carroll. "I know what I want to set up for my future."
It didn't take Mustapha long to turn heads at 49ers training camp this summer, and if his early preseason success is any indicator of what the future might hold for him, it won't be long before he's reunited with his biggest motivators.