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Mitja Ilenič

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Mitja Ilenič
Personal information
Date of birth (2004-12-26) 26 December 2004 (age 19)
Place of birth Slovenia
Height 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)[1]
Position(s) Right-back[1]
Team information
Current team
 New York City FC
Number 35
Youth career
2011–2016 NK Bela Krajina
2016–2019 NŠ Bela Krajina
2019–2021 Domžale
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2021–2023 Domžale 32 (3)
2023– New York City FC 19 (0)
International career‡
2020 Slovenia U17 1 (0)
2021–2022 Slovenia U18 3 (1)
2022–2023 Slovenia U19 6 (0)
2022– Slovenia U21 14 (0)
2024– Slovenia 1 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 21 August 2023
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 11 October 2024

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

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Early career

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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

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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

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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

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Club

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As of 21 August 2023[1][16]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup Continental Total
Division 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 19 0 0 0 2[a] 0 21 0
Career total 51 3 1 0 2 0 54 3
  1. ^ Appearance(s) in Leagues Cup

International

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As of match played 20 January 2024[15]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Slovenia 2024 1 0
Total 1 0

References

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  1. ^ a b c Mitja Ilenič at WorldFootball.net
  2. ^ "ZAPISNIK 25. seje Registracijske komisije z dne 08.06.11" (PDF). mnzljubljana-zveza.s (in Slovenian). MNZ Ljubljana. Retrieved 17 December 2022.
  3. ^ Berce, Nejc. "Mitja Ilenič do prve pogodbe" [Mitja Ilenic signs his first contract]. nkdomzale.si (in Slovenian). NK Domžale. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
  4. ^ Kozmelj, Jaka (8 May 2022). "Sanja Liverpool, a mladim nikjer ni lepše kot v Domžalah". Sportklub (in Slovenian). Retrieved 17 December 2022.
  5. ^ Batič, Jakob (2 April 2022). "Ker je pomagal zamenjati Skenderja, je bil občutek še toliko boljši". 24ur.com (in Slovenian). Retrieved 16 December 2022.
  6. ^ "Mitja Ilenič » PrvaLiga 2020/2021". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 17 December 2022.
  7. ^ "Najbolj vroč produkt ostaja v Domžalah, Ilenič podpisal do 2025". nogomania.com (in Slovenian). 13 October 2022. Retrieved 17 December 2022.
  8. ^ 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.
  9. ^ "Ilenič šov: Domžale so na krilih najstniškega branilca zlahka porazile Aluminij". nogomania.com (in Slovenian). 1 May 2022. Retrieved 17 December 2022.
  10. ^ Valant, Simon (22 December 2022). "Domžalčani vendarle ostali brez mladega branilca, ki odhaja čez lužo". Slovenski nogometni portal (in Slovenian). Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  11. ^ 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.
  12. ^ 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.
  13. ^ "Mitja Ilenič – reprezentanca". nzs.si (in Slovenian). Football Association of Slovenia. Retrieved 17 December 2022.
  14. ^ "V Prištini brez zadetkov". nzs.si (in Slovenian). Football Association of Slovenia. 25 March 2022. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
  15. ^ a b "Mitja Ilenič, international football player". eu-football.info. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
  16. ^ "Mitja Ilenič – Nogometna zveza Slovenije". nzs.si (in Slovenian). Football Association of Slovenia. Retrieved 17 December 2022.
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