Quick Facts
AquariusBiography
Branko Ilić (born 6 February 1983) is a Slovenian professional footballer who plays for Olimpija Ljubljana. Usually a right back, he can also operate as a central defender.
A Slovenian international between 2004 and 2015, Ilić represented his country at the 2010 World Cup.
Club career
Born in Ljubljana, SR Slovenia, Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Ilić started his career at local NK Olimpija, where he made his senior debut in 2003 against FC Koper. He joined NK Domžale in January 2005, after his former club went bankrupt.
Ilić was loaned to Real Betis in January 2007, becoming the first Slovenian to play for the club. His first official appearance came against city rivals Sevilla FC, in a Copa del Rey quarter-final clash; on 4 February he first appeared in La Liga, providing the assist for Robert's goal in a 2–1 away win at Athletic Bilbao.
After a positive spell, the Andalusian side completed the transfer for €1.5 million in the summer of 2007, but Ilić eventually fell out of rotation in 2008–09 after the signing of S.L. Benfica's Nélson, in a relegation-ending season where he only featured in three matches.
On 6 September 2009, FC Moscow signed Ilić on loan from Betis, for one year. In late January 2010, however, he was released by the latter, immediately joining another team from Russia and its capital, FC Lokomotiv.
On 13 August 2010, Sky Sports reported that Ilić was on trial in England with Premier League's Blackpool, but nothing came of it. On 5 June 2013, after one season in the Cypriot First Division with Anorthosis Famagusta FC, he and teammate Jürgen Colin signed two-year contracts with Hapoel Tel Aviv F.C. from Israel.
On 10 July 2014, Ilić agreed to a two-year deal with Serbian club FK Partizan. The following summer he moved teams and countries again, joining Kazakhstan Premier League champions FC Astana.
On 6 January 2016, Ilić signed for Urawa Red Diamonds from Japan. On 5 February of the following year he returned to his homeland, joining NK Olimpija Ljubljana.
International career
Ilić made his debut for Slovenia on 18 August 2004 in a friendly match against Serbia and Montenegro. He was selected for the squad at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, but did not leave the bench in an eventual group stage exit.
Career statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | National Cup | Continental | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Olimpija | 2002–03 | Slovenian PrvaLiga | 13 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | 15 | 0 | |
| 2003–04 | 26 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 30 | 0 | ||
| 2004–05 | 16 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | 18 | 0 | |||
| Total | 55 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 63 | 0 | ||
| Domžale | 2004–05 | Slovenian PrvaLiga | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 13 | 0 | |
| 2005–06 | 34 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 41 | 2 | ||
| 2006–07 | 16 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 21 | 0 | ||
| Total | 63 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 75 | 2 | ||
| Betis (loan) | 2006–07 | La Liga | 13 | 0 | – | 13 | 0 | |||
| Betis | 2007–08 | 18 | 0 | – | 18 | 0 | ||||
| 2008–09 | 3 | 0 | – | 3 | 0 | |||||
| Total | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 0 | ||
| FC Moscow (loan) | 2009 | Russian Premier League | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | ||
| Lokomotiv Moscow | 2010 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2011–12 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 13 | 0 | ||
| Total | 11 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 14 | 0 | ||
| Anorthosis | 2012–13 | Cypriot First Division | 26 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 32 | 1 |
| Hapoel Tel Aviv | 2013–14 | Israeli Premier League | 28 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 33 | 1 |
| Partizan | 2014–15 | Serbian SuperLiga | 27 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 41 | 4 |
| Astana | 2015 | Kazakhstan Premier League | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 21 | 0 |
| Urawa Red Diamonds | 2016 | J1 League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Career total | 259 | 8 | 17 | 0 | 44 | 0 | 320 | 8 | ||
International
| Slovenia | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Apps | Goals |
| 2004 | 1 | 0 |
| 2005 | 6 | 0 |
| 2006 | 8 | 0 |
| 2007 | 10 | 0 |
| 2008 | 9 | 0 |
| 2009 | 1 | 0 |
| 2010 | 4 | 0 |
| 2011 | 3 | 0 |
| 2012 | 0 | 0 |
| 2013 | 9 | 0 |
| 2014 | 5 | 0 |
| 2015 | 7 | 1 |
| Total | 63 | 1 |
International goal
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 27 March 2015 | Stožice, Ljubljana, Slovenia |  San Marino | 6–0 | 6–0 | Euro 2016 qualifying |
Honours
- Slovenian Football Cup : 2002–03
- Slovenian PrvaLiga : 2006–07
- Serbian SuperLiga : 2014–15