Mitja Viler

{{Infobox football biography

| name = Mitja Viler

| image = SM-Maribor (4) (cropped).jpg

| caption = Viler with Maribor in November 2017

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1986|9|1|df=y}}{{cite web | url = https://www.nkmaribor.com/igralci/?id=43687 | title = Osebni karton: Mitja Viler | publisher = NK Maribor | language = sl| access-date = 8 June 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200905113524/http://www.nkmaribor.com/igralci/?id=43687|archive-date=5 September 2020}}

| birth_place = Koper, SFR Yugoslavia

| height = 1.81 m

| currentclub =

| clubnumber =

| position = Left-back

| youthyears1 = {{0|0000}}–2005

| youthclubs1 = Koper

| years1 = 2005–2010

| clubs1 = Koper

| caps1 = 142

| goals1 = 5

| years2 = 2005

| clubs2 = → Izola (loan)

| caps2 = 4

| goals2 = 0

| years3 = 2006

| clubs3 = → Jadran Dekani (loan)

| caps3 = 4

| goals3 = 3

| years4 = 2010–2020

| clubs4 = Maribor

| caps4 = 256

| goals4 = 7

| years5 = 2021

| clubs5 = Koper

| caps5 = 13

| goals5 = 0

| totalcaps = 419

| totalgoals = 15

| nationalyears1 = 2001

| nationalteam1 = Slovenia U15

| nationalcaps1 = 8

| nationalgoals1 = 0

| nationalyears2 = 2006–2007

| nationalteam2 = Slovenia U20

| nationalcaps2 = 5

| nationalgoals2 = 0

| nationalyears3 = 2007–2008

| nationalteam3 = Slovenia U21

| nationalcaps3 = 5

| nationalgoals3 = 0

| nationalyears4 = 2017

| nationalteam4 = Slovenia

| nationalcaps4 = 2

| nationalgoals4 = 0

| pcupdate =

| ntupdate =

}}

Mitja Viler (born 1 September 1986) is a retired Slovenian footballer who played as a left-back. He spent his entire career in his homeland Slovenia, making over 400 appearances in the Slovenian top division with Koper and Maribor.

At international level, he earned two caps for the Slovenia national team in 2017.{{cite web|url=https://eu-football.info/_player.php?id=29944|title=Mitja Viler, international football player|access-date=9 February 2024|website=eu-football.info}}

Club career

Viler started playing football when his father, who was also a football player and later a coach, introduced him to the game. Earlier in career, he was a utility player and played on several different positions. Before moving to Maribor in 2010, he played for Koper and made a total of 142 appearances for the club in the Slovenian first division, 1. SNL, scoring five goals in the process.{{cite web | url = https://www.nzs.si/tekmovanja/default.asp?action=igralecstat&id_igralca=43687 | title = Mitja Viler | publisher = Football Association of Slovenia | language = sl| accessdate = 8 June 2011 }} He was part of the squad that won the first-ever national championship for Koper during the 2009–10 season. With Maribor, he won the league championship during the 2010–11 season, his second consecutive championship. Between 2011–12 and 2014–15, Viler won another four consecutive championships with Maribor.

On 21 October 2014, Viler scored an own goal in a 6–0 UEFA Champions League loss to Chelsea, and was substituted minutes later.{{cite web |last1=Rose |first1=Gary |title=Chelsea 6–0 NK Maribor |url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/29362738 |publisher=BBC Sport |access-date=28 January 2021 |date=21 October 2014}} On 22 August 2017, Viler scored the only goal for Maribor against Hapoel Be'er Sheva in the second leg of the play-off round of the 2017–18 UEFA Champions League, helping his team to qualify for the group stage of the competition for the third time in history.{{cite news|url=https://www.rtvslo.si/sport/nogomet/caroben-vecer-v-ljudskem-vrtu-maribor-sampion-v-ligi-prvakov/430598|title=Čaroben večer v Ljudskem vrtu: Maribor šampion v Ligi prvakov!|first1=Aleš|last1=Vozel|first2=Dolores|last2=Subotić|date=22 August 2017|accessdate=23 August 2017|publisher=RTV Slovenija|language=sl}}

On 29 December 2020, Maribor retired his squad number 28 until 2030.{{cite web |author1=R. P. |title=Predsednik Kopra obdaril navijače, Maribor upokojil št. 28 |url=https://siol.net/sportal/prva-liga/mitja-viler-koper-maribor-28-542456 |publisher=Siol |access-date=28 January 2021 |language=sl |date=30 December 2020}} The next day, Viler returned to Koper after ten years.

After a brief spell with Koper, Viler retired from professional football in November 2021.{{cite web |title=Končana je kariera: Mitja Viler je potegnil zavoro, v Kopru ga zdaj čaka povsem nov izziv |url=https://www.nogomania.com/Novica/Koncana-je-kariera-Mitja-Viler-je-potegnil-zavoro-v-Kopru-ga-zdaj-caka-povsem-nov-izziv |publisher=Nogomania |access-date=8 November 2021 |language=sl |date=8 November 2021}}

Honours

Koper

Slovenian PrvaLiga: 2009–10{{cite web |last1=Strack-Zimmermann |first1=Benjamin |title=Mitja Viler |url=https://www.national-football-teams.com/player/68777/Mitja_Viler.html |website=national-football-teams.com |access-date=8 November 2021 |language=en}}
Slovenian Cup: 2005–06, 2006–07

Maribor