Ilija Vukotić
Montenegrin footballer
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Ilija Vukotić (born 7 January 1999) is a Montenegrin professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Greek Super League club OFI.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 7 January 1999 | ||
| Place of birth | Cetinje, Montenegro, FR Yugoslavia | ||
| Height | 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) | ||
| Position | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | OFI | ||
| Number | 8 | ||
| 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) |
| 2022–2025 | Boavista | 67 | (4) |
| 2025– | OFI | 10 | (0) |
| 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) |
| 2021–2022 | Montenegro | 3 | (1) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 15 February 2026 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 1 June 2023 | |||
Club career
Vukotić began his competitive football career at the age of 12.[1] On 21 March 2015, he scored against Berane in his debut for Grbalj, becoming the youngest goalscorer in the history of the Montenegrin First League aged 16 years, 73 days.[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 loaned to Primeira Liga club Boavista for two seasons.[3] In the summer of 2022, Vukotić permanently joined Boavista as part of the deal that sent Petar Musa to Benfica. Benfica retained 50% of Vukotić's economic rights and a buy-back option.[4]
International career
He debuted for Montenegro on 13 November 2021 in a 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification match against the Netherlands.[5] He came on as a substitute in the 69th minute, with Montenegro trailing 2–0, and scored in the 82nd minute to bring the score to 2–1, contributing to the eventual 2–2 final result.
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 |
