Josip Iličić
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Josip Iličić | ||
| Date of birth | 29 January 1988 | ||
| Place of birth | Prijedor, SFR Yugoslavia | ||
| Height | 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) | ||
| Playing position | Attacking midfielder | ||
| Club information | |||
|
Current team
|
Fiorentina | ||
| Number | 72 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1995–2006 | Triglav Kranj | ||
| 2006–2007 | Britof | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2007–2008 | Bonifika Izola | 24 | (3) |
| 2008–2010 | Interblock | 55 | (12) |
| 2010 | Maribor | 5 | (1) |
| 2010–2013 | Palermo | 98 | (20) |
| 2013– | Fiorentina | 106 | (29) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2008–2010 | Slovenia U20 | 4 | (0) |
| 2009–2010 | Slovenia U21 | 6 | (0) |
| 2010– | Slovenia | 45 | (3) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 21 May 2017. ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 10 June 2017 |
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Josip Iličić (born 29 January 1988 in Prijedor) is a Slovenian professional footballer who plays for Italian club Fiorentina and the Slovenia national team as an attacking midfielder.
Iličić started his career playing in the youth teams of Triglav Kranj and later Britof from Kranj. At the age of 19, he moved to SC Bonifika, where he played for a season in Slovenian second division, 2. SNL. It was there when his talent was spotted by Interblock, where he stayed for two seasons playing in Slovenian top league, 1.SNL. At the end of the 2009–10 season, Interblock was relegated into 2.SNL after two qualifications matches against Triglav. Despite being one of the best players of his club and one of the top prospects of Slovenian football Iličić finished the season as a reserve.
Aged 21, Iličić contemplated an idea of finishing his playing career altogether, however, few weeks later he received a phone call from Zlatko Zahovič, Director of Football at Maribor, who proposed he should sign for the most successful club in the country. In a life changing decision Iličić took the offer immediately and moved to Slovenia's second largest city where he made a big impact from the start as he scored twice in the UEFA Europa League match against Scottish Premier League club Hibernian in July 2010. He then scored again, in the return leg of the UEFA Europa League playoff round against Sicilian Palermo, which ended in a 3–2 win for the Slovenian side. On the very next day, it was confirmed that Palermo had acquired Iličić and teammate Armin Bačinović from Maribor for a permanent move. The transfer fee paid by Palermo was undisclosed, but it is believed to be around €2.3 million.
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