Ilija Vukotić
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 7 January 1999 | ||
| Place of birth | Cetinje, Montenegro, FR Yugoslavia | ||
| Height | 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Boavista | ||
| Number | 18 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2014–2015 | Lovćen | ||
| 2015–2017 | Grbalj | ||
| 2017 | Vitória Setúbal | ||
| 2017–2018 | Benfica | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2015–2017 | Grbalj | 15 | (1) |
| 2017–2022 | Benfica B | 52 | (4) |
| 2021–2022 | → Boavista (loan) | 20 | (0) |
| 2022– | Boavista | 41 | (1) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2014–2016 | Montenegro U17 | 13 | (3) |
| 2015 | Montenegro U18 | 2 | (0) |
| 2015–2018 | Montenegro U19 | 14 | (2) |
| 2017–2020 | Montenegro U21 | 16 | (6) |
| 2021– | Montenegro | 3 | (1) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 20 June 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 1 June 2023 | |||
Ilija Vukotić (born 7 January 1999) is a Montenegrin professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Primeira Liga club Boavista.
Club career
Vukotić began playing football competitively at the age of 12.[1] On 21 March 2015, he scored a goal against Berane from distance in his debut for Grbalj, becoming the youngest goalscorer in the history of the Montenegrin First League at the age of 16.[1]
In the Summer of 2017, Vukotić moved to Portugal, joining Benfica's youth setup.[2]
On 17 August 2021, Vukotić signed a new contract with Benfica and was immediately sent on a two-season-long loan to Primeira Liga club Boavista.[3] In the Summer of 2022, Vukotić joined Boavista on a permanent basis, as part of the deal that saw Petar Musa move to Benfica. The Eagles kept 50% of Vukotić's economic rights and a buy-back option.[4]
International career
He made his debut for Montenegro national team on 13 November 2021 in a World Cup qualifier against the Netherlands. He came on as a substitute in the 69th minute with his country down 2–0 and scored in the 82nd minute, making the score 2–1 on the way to the eventual 2–2 final result.[5]
Career statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Grbalj | 2014–15 | Montenegrin First League | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 2 | 1 | |
| 2015–16 | Montenegrin First League | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 5 | 0 | ||
| 2016–17 | Montenegrin First League | 8 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 11 | 0 | ||
| Total | 15 | 1 | 3 | 0 | — | 18 | 1 | |||
| Benfica B | 2017–18 | LigaPro | 1 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2018–19 | LigaPro | 7 | 0 | — | — | 7 | 0 | |||
| 2019–20 | LigaPro | 18 | 0 | — | — | 18 | 0 | |||
| 2020–21 | Liga Portugal 2 | 24 | 3 | — | — | 24 | 3 | |||
| 2021–22 | Liga Portugal 2 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 2 | 1 | |||
| Total | 52 | 4 | — | — | 52 | 4 | ||||
| Boavista (loan) | 2021–22 | Primeira Liga | 20 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 23 | 0 |
| Boavista | 2022–23 | Primeira Liga | 13 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 0 |
| 2023–24 | Primeira Liga | 8 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 1 | |
| Total | 41 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 47 | 1 | ||
| Career total | 108 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 117 | 6 | ||
International
- As of match played 7 June 2022
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Montenegro | 2021 | 2 | 1 |
| 2022 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 3 | 1 | |
- As of match played 7 June 2022
- Scores and results list Montenegro goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Vukotić goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 13 November 2021 | Podgorica City Stadium, Podgorica, Montenegro | 1 |  Netherlands |
1–2 | 2–2 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
References
- ^ a b Branko Krivokapić (30 March 2015). "On je najmlađi strijelac u istoriji crnogorskog prvoligaškog fudbala". Vijesti (in Serbian). Retrieved 17 April 2019.
- ^ "Ilija Vukotic reforça juniores" [Ilija Vukotic reinforces Juniors] (in European Portuguese). Record. 6 September 2017. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
- ^ "Renovação e empréstimo" [Renewal and loan] (in European Portuguese). SL Benfica. 17 August 2021. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
- ^ "Benfica garante Musa: Os detalhes do negócio que envolve mais 2 jogadores" [Benfica guarantees Musa: The details of the deal that involves 2 more players]. Notícias ao Minuto (in European Portuguese). 7 May 2022. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
- ^ "Montenegro v Netherlands game report". FIFA. 13 November 2021. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
- ^ Ilija Vukotić at Soccerway. Retrieved 9 January 2019.
- ^ Ilija Vukotić at ForaDeJogo (archived). Retrieved 16 February 2019.