Ilija Vukotić

Ilija Vukotić
Personal information
Date of birth (1999-01-07) 7 January 1999 (age 25)
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

As of match played 16 February 2019[6][7]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
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
Appearances and goals by national team and year
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.
List of international goals scored by Ilija Vukotić
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

  1. ^ a b Branko Krivokapić (30 March 2015). "On je najmlađi strijelac u istoriji crnogorskog prvoligaškog fudbala". Vijesti (in Serbian). Retrieved 17 April 2019.
  2. ^ "Ilija Vukotic reforça juniores" [Ilija Vukotic reinforces Juniors] (in European Portuguese). Record. 6 September 2017. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  3. ^ "Renovação e empréstimo" [Renewal and loan] (in European Portuguese). SL Benfica. 17 August 2021. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  4. ^ "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.
  5. ^ "Montenegro v Netherlands game report". FIFA. 13 November 2021. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  6. ^ Ilija Vukotić at Soccerway. Retrieved 9 January 2019.
  7. ^ Ilija Vukotić at ForaDeJogo (archived). Retrieved 16 February 2019.


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