Mario Ilich

{{Infobox footballer

| name = Mario Ilich

| full_name = Mario Jozef Ilich{{cite web |url=https://fdp.fifa.org/assetspublic/ce233/pdf/SquadLists-English.pdf |title=FIFA Club World Cup 2025: Squad List |publisher=FIFA |date=11 June 2025 |access-date=11 June 2025}}

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1995|6|23|df=y}}

| birth_place =

| height = 190 cm

| position = Midfielder

| currentclub = Auckland City

| clubnumber = 2

| youthyears1 = | youthclubs1 = Central United

| youthyears2 = –2012 | youthclubs2 = Auckland City

| years1 = 2012–2014 | clubs1 = Auckland City| caps1 = 3 | goals1 = 0

| years2 = 2014–2015 | clubs2 = Wanderers SC | caps2 = 12 | goals2 = 0

| years3 = 2015–2016 | clubs3 = WaiBOP United | caps3 = 14 | goals3 = 3

| years4 = 2016 | clubs4 = Eastern Suburbs | caps4 = 2 | goals4 = 0

| years5 = 2017 | clubs5 = Auckland City | caps5 = 2 | goals5 = 0

| years6 = 2017 | clubs6 = Central United | caps6 = | goals6 =

| years7 = 2017–2019 | clubs7 = Team Wellington | caps7 = 36 | goals7 = 2

| years8 = 2019 | clubs8 = Bentleigh Greens | caps8 = | goals8 =

| years9 = 2019– | clubs9 = Auckland City | caps9 = 114 | goals9 = 10

| nationalyears1 = | nationalteam1 = | nationalcaps1 = | nationalgoals1 =

}}

Mario Jozef Ilich (born 23 June 1995){{Cite web |title=Mario Jozef Ilich |url=https://int.soccerway.com/players/mario-ilich/226555/ |access-date=20 June 2025 |website=int.soccerway.com}} is a semi-professional association football player from New Zealand who plays as a midfielder and captains Auckland City.{{Cite web |last=Borrowdale |first=James |date=14 June 2025 |title=Auckland City aiming to do amateur football proud in Bayern Munich mismatch |url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2025/jun/14/auckland-city-aiming-to-do-amateur-football-proud-in-bayern-munich-mismatch |access-date=20 June 2025 |website=The Guardian |language=en}}{{Cite web |last= |first= |date= |title=Mario Ilich |url=https://oceaniafootballcenter.org/mario-ilich/ |access-date=20 June 2025 |website=Oceania Football Centre |language=en}}

Club career

=Early career=

Growing up in Auckland, Ilich played his youth football for Central United and Auckland City.{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=30 May 2025 |title=The Skipper at the Heart our Club World Cup Journey |url=https://www.aucklandcityfc.com/the-skipper-at-the-heart-our-club-world-cup-journey/ |access-date=20 June 2025 |website=Auckland City FC |language=en}}{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=1 June 2025 |title=GOOD LUCK SUPER MARIO!!! 💛💛 |url=https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1157808389483976&id=100057644761403 |access-date=20 June 2025 |website=Central United F.C. |language=en}}

Ilich spent time at a number of New Zealand Football Championship clubs, before spending a short spell at Bentleigh Greens in the NPL Victoria.{{Cite web |last=Saltori |first=Rafael |date=27 November 2019 |title=Mario Ilich: the new Auckland City man shares his experiences |url=https://oceaniafootballcenter.org/2019/11/27/mario-ilich-the-new-auckland-city-man-shares-his-experiences/ |access-date=20 June 2025 |website=Oceania Football Centre |language=en}}

=Auckland City=

After leaving Bentleigh Greens, Ilich joined Auckland City, for the third time on 23 September 2019.{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=23 September 2019 |title=Mario Ilich makes Navy Blues return |url=https://www.aucklandcityfc.com/mario-ilich-makes-navy-blues-return/ |access-date=20 June 2025 |website=Auckland City FC |language=en}} He has since played in three international FIFA tournaments, the 2022 FIFA Club World Cup, 2023 FIFA Club Wold Cup, 2025 FIFA Club World Cup.{{Cite web |date=2017-11-27 |title=Auckland City confirm Club World Cup squad |url=https://www.oceaniafootball.com/auckland-city-confirm-club-worl/ |access-date=2025-06-18 |website=Oceania Football Confederation |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |title=Mario Ilich - Auckland City Midfielder |url=https://www.espn.com/soccer/player/_/id/283842/mario-ilich |access-date=20 June 2025 |website=ESPN |language=en}}

Personal life

Ilich works as a supermarket sales representative for Coca-Cola.{{Cite web |last=Fleming |first=Rory |date=13 June 2025 |title=Meet the amateur New Zealand team aiming to topple soccer’s biggest names at the FIFA Club World Cup |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2025/06/13/sport/auckland-city-club-world-cup-fifa-spt-intl |access-date=20 June 2025 |website=CNN |language=en}} Ilich has Croatian roots.{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=14 June 2025 |title=The amateur New Zealand club with Croatian roots to take on giants at FIFA Club World Cup |url=https://www.croatiaweek.com/the-amateur-new-zealand-club-with-croatian-roots-to-take-on-giants-at-fifa-club-world-cup/ |access-date=20 June 2025 |website=croatiaweek.com |language=en}}

Career statistics

=Club=

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