A soccer success story grows in Brooklyn.
Mostafa Haridi takes pride in everything he does, whether it’s maintaining a 93.7 average as an honor student at Madison High School or working for his uncle at Adelman’s Kosher Deli.
But his passion is soccer and the standout central defender will get to do that at Hofstra University, committing to the Pride over the weekend. He will receive academic money and is already guaranteed a spot on the team.
“I’m very excited,” Haridi said. “I know it’s going to be tough, but I’m down for the challenge. I love challenges and I always like to play on a harder level than the one I just played in.”
Under the recommendation of Joe Barone and Mirsad Huseinovic of the Brooklyn Italians, Hofstra coach Richie Nuttal saw Haridi play in a U-19 CJSL game against the Westchester Flames Saturday and was extremely impressed.
“He’s like a last-minute gem we’ve come across and we’re very excited about it,” Nuttal said. “He came in to visit before, he’s a very bright young man and he had a great unofficial visit. I went to see him play and was very pleasantly surprised with his abilities. He’s a hard-nosed player, a decent athlete and has some drive and desire.”
On that visit two weeks ago, Haridi said he loved Hofstra, especially that it was close to home and he’ll be able to study engineering.
“I really liked the campus over there,” Haridi said. “School is always first.”
Cesar Markovic initially recruited Haridi after seeing him compete in a showcase, but Markovic stepped down as Stony Brook coach to take the vacant coaching job at New Jersey Tech and Haridi found his new home in Hempstead.
“He’s very aggressive, very difficult to beat on the field, he’s great in the air, a very good tackler, his timing is very good,” Huseinovic said. “Like a lot of kids going from high school to college, he’s going to have to work with the ball a little more, but he’s not bad with the ball.”
While Haridi’s strength is his aerial dominance, Huseinovic said he he’s far from one-dimensional.
“On the ground you might think I could go by this guy with no problem, but he’s very difficult to go by because of his length, his anticipation and his tackling ability,” he said.
As good as he is on the soccer field, Haridi is an even better person, his coaches say.
“He’s just a great kid, the type of kid you’d do anything for and we’re just so happy he’s going to Hofstra,” Madison coach Nick Punzone said.
At Madison, where Haridi played three years after moving from Egypt, he played just about every position on the field, earning All-Brooklyn honors by The Post.
“He will do anything for the team to win – he’s played goalie, midfielder, defender, forward,” Punzone said. “He’s just a great kid in terms of attitude, always looking to help other players get better. He’s not selfish. He’s just an awesome kid. I wish I had a whole team of him.”
Haridi said his soccer skills have been passed down from his father Hamed, who played professionally in Egypt. He credits his mother, Mokalehoum, with his work ethic in the classroom. It’s a sentiment echoed by Huseinovic.
“He’s a great, great person,” Huseinovic said. “He’s almost like a perfect kid. He’s very respectful of the coaches, comes from a good family. He was brought up the right way.”