Saša Ilić

Partizan

Born in Požarevac, Ilić initially came to Partizan in 1986 when his father Milan took him to a training session led by Florijan Matekalo. He was officially registered by the club on 5 September 1988, eventually passing through all the youth ranks at Partizan. In order to gain some first-team experience, Ilić also spent one season with Teleoptik. Ilić made his competitive debut for Partizan on 26 October 1996, coming on as a second-half substitute in a 10–0 away victory over Borac Čačak, wearing the number 1 shirt. That was his only appearance in the 1996–97 season, in which the club defended the championship title. In the following season, Ilić made his debut on the international scene, providing a late second-half assist to Dragan Isailović in a 1–0 home win over Croatia Zagreb on 23 July 1997. However, they were eliminated after a shocking 5–0 loss at Maksimir. On 23 August 1997, Ilić scored his first goal for Partizan, in a 3–2 away win against Vojvodina. He made a total of 25 league appearances that season, scoring three goals. In the summer of 1998, after the departure of Ivan Tomić to Roma, Ilić became the team's captain, being only 20 years old at the time. With the new role on the pitch, Ilić was instrumental in helping Partizan win a national championship after a one-year absence. He also played in the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, where Partizan were eliminated in the second round by Lazio, the eventual winner of the competition. In the following years,…

Having already been capped at under-21 level under both Milan Živadinović and Milovan Đorić, Ilić made his full international debut for FR Yugoslavia under Ilija Petković on 16 August 2000, coming on as a second-half substitute for Nenad Grozdić in a 2–1 away friendly win against Northern Ireland. He was subsequently selected as the team's captain at the Millennium Super Soccer Cup in January 2001. Despite missing the final through suspension, Ilić led the side with three goals in four games, as they won the trophy. However, these caps are not officially recognized by FIFA. He eventually netted his first official goal for the national team on 17 April 2002, scoring the opener in a 4–1 home friendly win over Lithuania. During the FIFA World Cup 2002 qualifying stage under Dejan Savićević, Ilić appeared in three matches, all as a substitute. He also played in two of his team's UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying games, scoring the equalizer in a 1–1 home draw to Italy on 10 September 2003. However, the country missed out on both final tournaments. With the return of Ilija Petković at the helm of the national team, Ilić started receiving more playing time. He made eight appearances in 2005, scoring once in a FIFA World Cup 2006 qualifier versus Lithuania. On 16 May 2006, Ilić was named in the final 23-man squad to represent Serbia and Montenegro at the 2006 FIFA World Cup. He appeared in the last match of the group stage, playing the full 90 minutes and managing to score a goal against…

On 4 May 2024, Ilić was appointed manager of the Russian Premier League club Pari Nizhny Novgorod. Under his management, Pari avoided relegation by winning in the relegation play-offs. On 5 October 2024, Ilić left Pari NN by mutual consent. On 7 July 2025, Saša Ilić signed a one-year contract with Azerbaijan Premier League side Sumgayit FK to become the club’s head coach.

Club

International

Scores and results list Serbia's goal tally first.