Many teams in Europe wanted him, but Mitja chose to stop in New York: "The City Football Group has a crazy project" he explains to us. This was enough to convince Ilenic to leave his Slovenia. There will be time to return to Europe, better to take one step at a time. And MLS is the best step to grow.
Ilenic: “MLS is underrated”
Ilenic was born in 2004, but his career began very early. “I started training when I was 6 years old with my brother. From there football became my life" Mitja tells gianlucadimarzio.com.
Today he is a right back, good at speed and with great character, but as a kid he played a little further forward: “In the youth team I was an attacking winger, my idol was Cristiano Ronaldo”. For this reason he must improve a little in the defensive phase.
But before getting to the present, there is another step to take. With the Domzale shirt, in Slovenia: “At 14 I realized I could make a living from football. I became more professional and started working hard.”
“It's the club that gave me everything. I made my debut with them at 16, they gave me a chance really early. At 18 I already had more than thirty appearances for the first team." In a short time Ilenic became one of the most interesting youngsters in Slovenian football. In January 2023 the time comes to leave and take an important step. And the phone rings several times. "I had offers from Hellas Verona, Sturm Graz, Lugano, Sparta Praha: they were all good offers but we decided to go to New York to grow. It was the best choice. MLS is really underrated. The level is high."
22 appearances and 2 assists in his first MLS regular season. The rught back was a key man for NYCFC. “I'll be 19 soon, I have time. My goal is to return to Europe, but I don't think about it too much: I just want to do the best, let's see what happens."
And there is always an eye on Serie A: “I really like Italian football, especially the fans. In March I played against the Under 19 national team: during the anthem you can see their passion." Not even 19 years old and already many experiences behind him. Ilenic has already taken off.
