Saša Ilić (footballer, born 1977)

Saša Ilić (Serbian Cyrillic: Саша Илић, pronounced [sâʃa îlitɕ]; born 30 December 1977) is a Serbian professional football coach and a former player who played as a midfielder.

Saša Ilić
Ilić with CSKA Sofia in 2022
Personal information
Full name Saša Ilić[1]
Date of birth (1977-12-30) 30 December 1977
Place of birth Požarevac, SR Serbia, SFR Yugoslavia
Height 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Position(s) Midfielder
Youth career
1986–1996 Partizan
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1996–2005 Partizan 200 (98)
2004 → Celta (loan) 13 (1)
2005–2007 Galatasaray 59 (22)
2007–2010 Red Bull Salzburg 34 (8)
2009 → Larissa (loan) 17 (1)
2010–2019 Partizan 224 (28)
Total 547 (158)
International career
2000–2008 FR Yugoslavia
Serbia and Montenegro
Serbia		 37 (4)
Managerial career
2019–2021 Serbia U16
2021 Serbia U18
2021–2022 Čukarički
2022–2023 CSKA Sofia
2023– Atromitos
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

After spending more than 20 years at Partizan, both youth and senior teams, Ilić became the most capped player in the club's history with more than 800 appearances (official and friendlies). He won 18 trophies with the Crno-beli, including 11 national championship titles and seven national cups. Additionally, Ilić is Partizan's most capped player in European club competitions with 113 appearances.

At international level, Ilić was capped for his country under three different names, between 2000 and 2008, making a total of 37 appearances to his name. He represented Serbia and Montenegro at the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

Club career

Partizan

Born in Požarevac, Ilić initially came to Partizan in 1986 when his father Milan took him to a training session led by Florijan Matekalo. He was officially registered by the club on 5 September 1988, eventually passing through all the youth ranks at Partizan. In order to gain some first-team experience, Ilić also spent one season with Teleoptik.

Ilić made his competitive debut for Partizan on 26 October 1996, coming on as a second-half substitute in a 10–0 away victory over Borac Čačak, wearing the number 1 shirt.[2] That was his only appearance in the 1996–97 season, in which the club defended the championship title. In the following season, Ilić made his debut on the international scene, providing a late second-half assist to Dragan Isailović in a 1–0 home win over Croatia Zagreb on 23 July 1997. However, they were eliminated after a shocking 0–5 loss at Maksimir. On 23 August 1997, Ilić scored his first goal for Partizan, in a 3–2 away win against Vojvodina. He made a total of 25 league appearances that season, scoring three goals.

In the summer of 1998, after the departure of Ivan Tomić to Roma, Ilić became the team's captain, being only 20 years old at the time. With the new role on the pitch, Ilić was instrumental in helping Partizan win a national championship after a one-year absence. He also played in the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, where Partizan were eliminated in the second round by Lazio, the eventual winner of the competition.

In the following years, Ilić established himself as a team leader and became an idol among the fans, while also receiving his first national team call-ups in 2000. He scored the winning goal in the national cup final in 2001, giving his team a 1–0 victory against arch-rivals at their ground.[3] Additionally, Ilić finished the season as the club's top scorer with 26 goals in all competitions.

Ilić subsequently led the club to back-to-back national championships in 2002 and 2003. In European competitions, Ilić finally managed to qualify with Partizan for the UEFA Champions League in the 2003–04 season, after eliminating Newcastle United in the last qualification round.[4] Drawn in a group with Porto, Real Madrid and Marseille,[5] Ilić played in all six matches as Partizan recorded three draws and three losses.

In the 2004 winter transfer window, Ilić was loaned to Spanish club Celta de Vigo, on a six-month period with an option for a permanent deal.[6] He was joined by two compatriots, manager Radomir Antić and striker Savo Milošević.[7] Ilić made his debut for the side on 8 February 2004, in a 2–1 home win over Villarreal. He then scored the opening goal against Real Madrid at Santiago Bernabéu later that month, but Celta would go on to lose the match 2–4.[8] Eventually, after Celta got relegated from the Primera División, Ilić eventually left Vigo.

In the summer of 2004, Ilić returned to Partizan after a six-month loan spell at Celta, taking the captain's armband from Vladimir Ivić, who left the club that summer. His return coincided with comebacks of ex-Partizan captains, Dragan Ćirić and Ivan Tomić.[9] With experienced trio, Partizan had a memorable season, winning the league with an unbeaten record.[10] They also progressed to the round of 16 in the UEFA Cup, losing to the eventual champion CSKA Moscow.

Galatasaray

After a successful comeback season with Partizan, Ilić moved abroad for the second time and signed a three-year contract with Turkish club Galatasaray on 8 July 2005.[11][12] He chose to wear his traditional number 22, despite being offered the prestigious number 10 shirt. On 7 August 2005, Ilić scored a brace on his Galatasaray and Süper Lig debut, giving his team a 2–1 win over Konyaspor. He scored another brace in a 3–2 home win over Beşiktaş on 12 October 2005. With a total of 12 goals, Ilić was the team's third-highest scorer in the 2005–06 season, helping the club return the championship title to Ali Sami Yen after four years.

Subsequently, Ilić made an excellent start of the 2006–07 season by scoring five goals in the first four league rounds. In the UEFA Champions League, Ilić was in form scoring goals against PSV and Liverpool.[13] However, Galatasaray narrowly missed out on the UEFA Cup spot, finishing fourth in the group.

Red Bull Salzburg
Ilić with Red Bull Salzburg in 2009

In June 2007, Ilić was officially transferred to Red Bull Salzburg, signing a three-year contract.[14] He decided to join the Austrian side at the insistence of Lothar Matthäus, as they previously successfully collaborated at Partizan. However, only a few days later, Matthäus was released by Salzburg.[15] Ilić scored his first goal for the club on 8 August 2007, in a Champions League qualifier against Latvian side Ventspils.

In January 2009, Ilić signed with Greek club Larissa on loan until the end of the 2008–09 season.[16] He scored his only goal for the club in the Superleague Greece playoffs against AEK Athens.

Upon his return to Salzburg, Ilić saw very infrequent opportunities to play for Red Bull. He was suspended by the club's board in September 2009 because of the alleged betting against Salzburg in their UEFA Europa League game with Lazio.[17] However, Ilić dismissed the accusation of betting against his own team, but admitted to betting on the other matches.[18] His teammate and countryman, Đorđe Rakić was also involved, but there were no consequences for him.

Return to Partizan

On 22 January 2010, Ilić officially rejoined Partizan from Red Bull Salzburg on a free transfer, penning a two-and-a-half-year contract.[19] He was immediately assigned his old number 22 shirt and selected to be vice-captain to Mladen Krstajić by manager Goran Stevanović.[20] On 27 February 2010, Ilić made his official comeback appearance for the club against Borac Čačak at the same place as of his first match fourteen years earlier. He missed only one out of 15 league games and scored three goals in the second part of the 2009–10 season, as the club won their third consecutive title.

Ilić scored his first goal of the 2010–11 campaign in a Champions League qualifier against Finnish champions HJK, showing glimpses of his old self. He helped the club progress to the group stage of the competition that season, first time after seven years, as well as to win a double. After Krstajić's retirement in the summer of 2011, Ilić became the captain for the third time, leading the team to another championship title at the end of that season.

In July 2012, Ilić signed a new one-year contract with the club to prolong his career until June 2013.[21] He earned a place in the 2012–13 SuperLiga Team of the Season, also helping his team win its sixth consecutive title. Ilić again signed a one-year contract extension in the summer of 2013, as well as in the summer of 2014. He collected his 10th league title with Partizan in the 2014–15 season.

On 22 May 2015, Ilić signed another one-year deal with Partizan.[22] He recorded his 100th appearance for the club in UEFA competitions on 29 July 2015, coming on as a substitute in a 1–1 away draw with Steaua București.[23] In April 2016, Ilić scored two braces in two home league wins over Radnik Surdulica (3–2) and Mladost Lučani (4–0). He also played the full 90 minutes in the final of the 2015–16 Serbian Cup, as Partizan won the game 2–0.[24]

On 10 June 2016, Ilić extended his stay with Partizan for another year.[25] He became the club's most capped player of all-time on 22 October 2016, recording his 792nd appearance.[26] On 27 December 2016, Ilić signed a new contract extension with Partizan which would keep him at the club until June 2018.[27] He eventually celebrated his second domestic double with the club in May 2017, first as captain.

On 5 November 2017, Ilić became the oldest scorer in Serbian SuperLiga history by converting a penalty in a 3–1 away win against Mačva Šabac.[28] He also scored a crucial 90th-minute goal in the second leg of the Serbian Cup semi-finals versus Čukarički on 9 May 2018, helping Partizan win the tie on the away goals rule (aggregate score 4–4).[29]

On 23 May 2019, Ilić played his last official match for Partizan coming on as a late second-half substitute in a 1–0 win over Red Star Belgrade in the final of the 2018–19 Serbian Cup.[30]

International career
Ilić (fifth from left) lining up for Serbia before a friendly against Republic of Ireland in May 2008

Having already been capped at under-21 level under both Milan Živadinović and Milovan Đorić, Ilić made his full international debut for FR Yugoslavia under Ilija Petković on 16 August 2000, coming on as a second-half substitute for Nenad Grozdić in a 2–1 away friendly win against Northern Ireland.[31] He was subsequently selected as the team's captain at the Millennium Super Soccer Cup in January 2001.[32][33] Despite missing the final through suspension, Ilić led the side with three goals in four games, as they won the trophy.[34] However, these caps are not officially recognized by FIFA. He eventually netted his first official goal for the national team on 17 April 2002, scoring the opener in a 4–1 home friendly win over Lithuania.[35]

During the FIFA World Cup 2002 qualifying stage under Dejan Savićević, Ilić appeared in three matches, all as a substitute. He also played in two of his team's UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying games, scoring the equalizer in a 1–1 home draw to Italy on 10 September 2003.[36] However, the country missed out on both final tournaments.

With the return of Ilija Petković at the helm of the national team, Ilić started receiving more playing time. He made eight appearances in 2005, scoring once in a FIFA World Cup 2006 qualifier versus Lithuania. On 16 May 2006, Ilić was named in the final 23-man squad to represent Serbia and Montenegro at the 2006 FIFA World Cup.[37] He appeared in the last match of the group stage, playing the full 90 minutes and managing to score a goal against Ivory Coast in a thrilling 3–2 match, eventually won by the opposition.[38]

On 16 August 2006, Ilić played for Serbia in their inaugural match against the Czech Republic. He also made two appearances in the team's unsuccessful UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying phase. Afterwards, Ilić failed to receive a call-up for the national team until March 2008, when Miroslav Đukić selected him for a friendly against Ukraine. He also appeared in a FIFA World Cup 2010 qualifier versus the Faroe Islands under Radomir Antić on 6 September 2008, in what would be his last international cap for the country.

Career statistics

Club
Club Season League National cup[lower-alpha 1] Continental Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Partizan 1996–97 First League of FR Yugoslavia 100000—10
1997–98 2539520—368
1998–99 23147561—3620
1999–00 32172173—4121
2000–01 30194344—3826
2001–02 28123030—3412
2002–03 First League of Serbia and Montenegro 25112082—3513
2003–04 14610102—258
2004–05 221641102—3619
Total 2009832155014—282127
Celta (loan) 2003–04 La Liga 1310000—131
Galatasaray 2005–06 Süper Lig 30124000—3412
2006–07 291040831[lower-alpha 2]04213
Total 59228083107625
Red Bull Salzburg 2007–08 Austrian Bundesliga 3080011—319
2008–09 300021—51
2009–10 101040—60
Total 3481072—4210
Larissa (loan) 2008–09 Super League Greece 1711000—181
Partizan 2009–10 Serbian SuperLiga 1431000—153
2010–11 25151121—423
2011–12 2545160—365
2012–13 25500120—375
2013–14 2652060—345
2014–15 27350110—433
2015–16 2865080—416
2016–17 2202010—250
2017–18 2014170—312
2018–19 1204010—170
Total 22428333641—32132
Career total 54715875181292010752196
  1. Includes Serbian Cup, Turkish Cup, Austrian Cup, Greek Cup
  2. Appearance in Turkish Super Cup

International
National teamYearAppsGoals
FR Yugoslavia 200040
200120
200261
Serbia and Montenegro 200341
200430
200581
200621
Serbia 200630
200700
200850
Total374

International goals
Scores and results list Serbia's goal tally first.
No.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
117 April 2002Smederevo Stadium, Smederevo Lithuania1–04–1Friendly
210 September 2003Red Star Stadium, Belgrade Italy1–11–1UEFA Euro 2004 qualification
33 September 2005Red Star Stadium, Belgrade Lithuania2–02–02006 FIFA World Cup qualification
421 June 2006Allianz Arena, Munich Ivory Coast2–02–32006 FIFA World Cup

Managerial statistics
As of match played 28 July 2023[39]
Managerial record by team and tenure
Team Nat From To Record
G W D L GF GA GD Win %
Čukarički Serbia 17 August 2021 11 April 2022 27 12 11 4 45 21 +24 044.44
CSKA Sofia Bulgaria 2 June 2022 28 July 2023 47 31 9 7 77 26 +51 065.96
Atromitos Greece 24 October 2023 0 0 0 0 0 0 +0 !—
Total 74 43 20 11 122 47 +75 058.11

Honours

Club
Partizan
Galatasaray

Individual

References
  1. "2006 FIFA World Cup Germany: List of Players" (PDF). FIFA. 21 March 2014. p. 24. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 June 2019.
  2. Mozzart Sport (16 July 2012). "Jedan je Ilić kapiten!" (in Serbian). Archived from the original on 11 July 2017. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
  3. "Kup Partizanu" (in Serbian). glas-javnosti.rs. 9 May 2001. Retrieved 24 December 2015.
  4. "Newcastle pay Partizan penalty". UEFA. 28 August 2003. Retrieved 28 July 2012.
  5. B92 (28 August 2003). "Partizan sa Realom, Portom i Marsejom!" (in Serbian). Retrieved 11 April 2022.
  6. "Celta in late for Ilic". UEFA. 3 February 2004. Retrieved 28 July 2012.
  7. "B92: Saša Ilić potpisao za Seltu!" (in Serbian). b92.net. 2 February 2004. Retrieved 28 July 2012.
  8. "Celta lets first-half lead slip away". ESPNFC. 29 February 2004. Retrieved 28 July 2012.
  9. "Zvonko Varga ponovo u stručnom štabu" (in Serbian). partizan.rs. 24 June 2004. Retrieved 16 December 2014.
  10. "Crno-beli – šampioni bez poraza!" (in Serbian). partizan.rs. 28 May 2005. Retrieved 16 December 2014.
  11. "Saša Ilić potpisao za Galatasaraj!" (in Serbian). partizan.rs. 8 July 2005. Retrieved 30 December 2016.
  12. "Ilic goes to Galatasaray". UEFA. 13 July 2005. Retrieved 28 July 2012.
  13. "Galatasaray 3–2 Liverpool". BBC. 5 December 2006. Retrieved 28 July 2012.
  14. "Salzburg boosted by Ilić arrival". UEFA. 9 June 2007. Retrieved 28 July 2012.
  15. "Matthäus makes way at Salzburg". UEFA. 13 June 2007. Retrieved 28 July 2012.
  16. "Larissa sign Serbian ace". FIFA. 13 January 2009. Archived from the original on 9 February 2009. Retrieved 24 April 2010.
  17. "Red Bull player 'placed bet on victory of opponents'". austriantimes.at. 21 September 2009. Retrieved 28 July 2012.
  18. "Ilić suspendovan zbog klađenja" (in Serbian). rts.rs. 21 September 2009. Retrieved 28 July 2012.
  19. B92 (15 January 2010). "Saša Ilić ponovo u Partizanu" (in Serbian). Retrieved 26 December 2021.
  20. "Krstajić kapiten, Ilić zamenik (VIDEO)" (in Serbian). mondo.rs. 22 January 2010. Retrieved 28 July 2012.
  21. "Sale Ilić produžio ugovor [VIDEO]" (in Serbian). sportskacentrala.com. 13 July 2012. Retrieved 15 July 2018.
  22. "Sa legendom do novih titula!" (in Serbian). partizan.rs. 22 May 2015. Retrieved 24 December 2015.
  23. "Saša Ilić – 100. put u Evropi" (in Serbian). mondo.rs. 30 July 2015. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
  24. "Kup je naš!" (in Serbian). partizan.rs. 11 May 2016. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
  25. "Saša Ilić produžio ugovor na još godinu dana!" (in Serbian). partizan.rs. 10 June 2016. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
  26. "22 na 792" (in Serbian). partizan.rs. 22 October 2016. Retrieved 16 December 2016.
  27. "Saša Ilić produžio ugovor sa Partizanom" (in Serbian). partizan.rs. 27 December 2016. Retrieved 27 December 2016.
  28. "PRESUDA SA BELE TAČKE Partizan uz preokret odneo ceo plen iz Šapca /VIDEO/" (in Serbian). blic.rs. 5 November 2017. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
  29. "Saša Ilić golom u 90' odveo Partizan u finale Kupa!" (in Serbian). b92.net. 9 May 2018. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
  30. ""Lepši završetak karijere nisam mogao da poželim"" (in Serbian). b92.net. 23 May 2019. Retrieved 23 May 2019.
  31. "Uspela proba" (in Serbian). glas-javnosti.rs. 16 August 2000. Retrieved 30 December 2016.
  32. "Novo vreme" (in Serbian). glas-javnosti.rs. 4 January 2001. Retrieved 30 December 2016.
  33. "Neki novi plavi" (in Serbian). glas-javnosti.rs. 8 January 2001. Retrieved 30 December 2016.
  34. "Mirna Bosna" (in Serbian). glas-javnosti.rs. 25 January 2001. Retrieved 30 December 2016.
  35. "Mladost položila ispit" (in Serbian). glas-javnosti.rs. 18 April 2002. Retrieved 30 December 2016.
  36. "Italy hold on to maintain pace". UEFA. 10 September 2003. Retrieved 30 December 2016.
  37. "Petković saopštio spisak" (in Serbian). b92.net. 16 May 2006. Retrieved 30 December 2016.
  38. "Ivory Coast 3–2 Serbia & Montenegro". BBC. 21 June 2006. Retrieved 28 July 2012.
  39. "Saša Ilić". FootballDatabase.eu. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
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