Mitja Ilenič (born 26 December 2004) is a Slovenian professional footballer who plays as a right-back for Major League Soccer club New York City FC.
Club career
Early career
Ilenič started his football career in 2011, at the age of six, with Bela Krajina,[2] and then joined Domžale in the summer of 2019.[3] He initially played as a forward, but later moved to the position of right-back when he was still a youngster.[4] He signed his first professional contract with Domžale at the age of sixteen,[5] and made his Slovenian PrvaLiga debut on 22 May 2021 against Aluminij, in the final round of the 2020–21 season.[6]
In October 2022, Ilenič extended his contract with Domžale until 2025.[7][8] Throughout 2022, he established himself in the club's starting eleven,[9] as he attracted the interest of several foreign clubs, including Sturm Graz, Hellas Verona, Lugano, Sparta Prague and New York City FC.[10][11]
New York City FC
On 4 January 2023, Ilenič joined Major League Soccer club New York City FC on a permanent deal, signing a contract until 2026, with an option for another year.[12]
International career
Ilenič has represented Slovenia at all youth international levels from under-17 to under-21.[13] He made his debut for the Slovenia under-21 team on 25 March 2022, starting the match and playing the full 90 minutes in a goalless draw against Kosovo, a match from the qualification round of the 2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship.[14] At the age of 17 years, two months and 27 days, he became the second youngest player to ever represent the team, behind only Jan Oblak.[12]
He made his debut for the senior Slovenia national team on 20 January 2024 in a friendly against the United States.[15]
Career statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | National cup | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Domžale | 2020–21 | 1. SNL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2021–22 | 15 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 16 | 3 | |||
| 2022–23 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 16 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 32 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 33 | 3 | |||
| New York City FC | 2023 | MLS | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 2[a] | 0 | 24 | 0 | |
| 2024 | 23 | 1 | — | — | 6[b] | 0 | 29 | 1 | ||||
| Total | 45 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 8 | 0 | 53 | 1 | |||
| Career total | 77 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 86 | 4 | ||
- ^ Appearances in Leagues Cup
- ^ Three appearances in Leagues Cup, three appearances in MLS Cup playoffs
International
- As of match played 20 January 2024[15]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Slovenia | 2024 | 1 | 0 |
| Total | 1 | 0 | |
References
- ^ a b c Mitja Ilenič at WorldFootball.net
- ^ "ZAPISNIK 25. seje Registracijske komisije z dne 08.06.11" (PDF). mnzljubljana-zveza.s (in Slovenian). MNZ Ljubljana. Retrieved 17 December 2022.
- ^ Berce, Nejc. "Mitja Ilenič do prve pogodbe" [Mitja Ilenic signs his first contract]. nkdomzale.si (in Slovenian). NK Domžale. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
- ^ Kozmelj, Jaka (8 May 2022). "Sanja Liverpool, a mladim nikjer ni lepše kot v Domžalah". Sportklub (in Slovenian). Retrieved 17 December 2022.
- ^ Batič, Jakob (2 April 2022). "Ker je pomagal zamenjati Skenderja, je bil občutek še toliko boljši". 24ur.com (in Slovenian). Retrieved 16 December 2022.
- ^ "Mitja Ilenič » PrvaLiga 2020/2021". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 17 December 2022.
- ^ "Najbolj vroč produkt ostaja v Domžalah, Ilenič podpisal do 2025". nogomania.com (in Slovenian). 13 October 2022. Retrieved 17 December 2022.
- ^ Ulčar, Miha (21 October 2022). "Mitja Ilenič, NK Domžale: "Razmišljati moramo o sebi in rezultat bo prišel"" ["We have to think about ourselves and the result will come"]. domzalec.si (in Slovenian). Retrieved 16 December 2022.
- ^ "Ilenič šov: Domžale so na krilih najstniškega branilca zlahka porazile Aluminij". nogomania.com (in Slovenian). 1 May 2022. Retrieved 17 December 2022.
- ^ Valant, Simon (22 December 2022). "Domžalčani vendarle ostali brez mladega branilca, ki odhaja čez lužo". Slovenski nogometni portal (in Slovenian). Retrieved 22 December 2022.
- ^ Zore, Miran (16 December 2022). "Preobrat: Američani bodo očitno pokvarili posel Sturmu, mladi Mitja Ilenič na pragu selitve v ligo MLS". nogomania.com (in Slovenian). Retrieved 17 December 2022.
- ^ a b "New York City Football Club Signs Mitja Ilenič from NK Domžale". New York City FC. 4 January 2023. Archived from the original on 4 January 2023. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
- ^ "Mitja Ilenič – reprezentanca". nzs.si (in Slovenian). Football Association of Slovenia. Retrieved 17 December 2022.
- ^ "V Prištini brez zadetkov". nzs.si (in Slovenian). Football Association of Slovenia. 25 March 2022. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
- ^ a b "Mitja Ilenič, international football player". eu-football.info. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
- ^ "Mitja Ilenič – Nogometna zveza Slovenije". nzs.si (in Slovenian). Football Association of Slovenia. Retrieved 17 December 2022.
External links
- Mitja Ilenič at Soccerway