Ilija Spasojević

Ilija Spasojević (born 11 September 1987)[3] is a Montenegrin-born Indonesian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Liga 1 club Bali United and the Indonesia national team. Spasojević is known for his goalscoring ability. During his senior career he scored 180 goals in 344 official matches and earned himself a nickname "Spasogoal."[4]

Ilija Spasojević
Spasojević playing for Persib Bandung in 2015
Personal information
Full name Ilija Spasojević
Date of birth (1987-09-11) 11 September 1987
Place of birth Bar, Montenegro, SFR Yugoslavia
Height 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)[1]
Position(s) Striker[2]
Club information
Current team
 Bali United
Number 9
Youth career
Vojvodina
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2004–2005 Vojvodina 0 (0)
2005–2006 Sutjeska Nikšić 17 (7)
2006 ČSK Čelarevo 12 (1)
2007–2009 Dinamo Tbilisi 57 (23)
2009 Borac Čačak 6 (0)
2010 Liepājas Metalurgs 9 (4)
2010 Trikala 12 (0)
2011 Bali Devata 14 (8)
2011–2013 PSM Makassar 27 (15)
2013 Mitra Kukar 16 (10)
2014 Putra Samarinda 23 (12)
2015 Persib Bandung 2 (0)
2016–2017 Melaka United 33 (27)
2017 Bhayangkara 16 (13)
2018– Bali United 60 (25)
National team‡
2018 Indonesia Olympic 2 (0)
2017– Indonesia 4 (3)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 4 December 2019
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 25 March 2018

Club career

Early career

Born in Bar, Montenegro, Spasojević started his career with Serbian club Vojvodina. In 2005–06, he played for Montenegrin club Sutjeska Nikšić, where he scored 7 goals in 17 matches. In 2006–07, Spasojević played for ČSK Čelarevo in the Serbian First League, where he scored 1 goal in 12 games.[5]

Dinamo Tbilisi

In January 2007, Spasojević signed for former UEFA Cup Winners' Cup winner Dinamo Tbilisi from Georgia. While he was playing for Dinamo Tbilisi he scored 30 goals in 61 matches in the Georgian League and the Georgian Cup.[6] He became the first foreign topscorer in the history of Dinamo Tbilisi. During his stay in Dinamo Tbilisi, Spasojević won the Georgian League, Georgian Cup and Georgian Super Cup, and made his debut in the UEFA Champions League on 30 July 2008 against Panathinaikos FC.

Borac Čačak

In July 2009, Spasojević was close to sign a contract with Bundesliga club Arminia Bielefeld,[7] but the transfer failed due to financial disagreement. Red Star Belgrade also showed interest in signing him,[8] but on 31 August 2009 he finally joined Borac Čačak in the Serbian SuperLiga.

Liepājas Metalurgs

On 30 March 2010, Latvian champions Liepājas Metalurgs signed Spasojević. In Latvia he scored 6 goals in 11 matches played in the Latvian League and the Latvian Football Cup.

Trikala

On 10 September 2010, only two days before the beginning of the Greek Football League, Spasojević joined Trikala. As he arrived late in Trikala, he was used as a substitute in the first games, and he only collected 203 minutes on the field in the first 13 matches. At the same time, Spasojević received an offer from the Indonesian club Bali Devata. Spasojević accepted the offer and moved to Indonesia.

Bali Devata

On 1 January 2011, Spasojević arrived in Indonesia and signed a contract with Bali Devata, which as a foreign player, where he soon became a key player by scoring 8 goals in the first half-season of the Indonesian league. He also scored two goals in a friendly match played on 23 August 2011 in Surabaya against Indonesia U-23, although Bali Devata was defeated 2:4 in that match.[9]

PSM Makassar
Spasojević in PSM Makassar

On 1 October 2011, Spasojević signed a contract with PSM Makassar in the Indonesian Premier League. On 23 January 2012, it was reported that the Italian Serie B club Brescia Calcio wanted to sign him,[10] but PSM Makassar refused the offer a few days later.[11] His first 2011–12 season with PSM Makassar he finished as club topscorer by scoring 14 goals,[12] 10 goals in the Indonesian Premier League and 4 goals in the Indonesian Cup.[13] He was also selected by Goal.com in the best team of 2011–12 season in Indonesia.[14] As a reward for the great season, Spasojević was invited by the Indonesian Football Association to play alongside Barcelona football star Cesc Fàbregas in an exhibition game between Indonesian national team and "Fabregas and friends".[15] The game took place in Jakarta on 5 July 2012 and ended in a draw (1:1). Spasojević scored the only goal[16] for "Fabregas and friends" after an assist from Cesc Fàbregas. During his time in PSM Makassar, Spasojević scored 19 goals in 29 matches.

Mitra Kukar

On 15 May 2013, Spasojević joined the Indonesian Super League club Mitra Kukar shortly after that club failed to sign Andriy Shevchenko. As Goal.com reported,[17] Mitra Kukar offered $100,000 per match to the Ukrainian superstar but he refused the offer. The next choice was Spasojević, who signed the contract until the end of the 2013 season. Spasojević scored 10 goals in 16 matches, becoming one of the most prolific strikers in the Indonesian Super League by scoring a goal every 119 minutes on average.[3] With his important goals in the finish of the 2013 season he led Mitra Kukar to achieve the biggest success in the club's history, third place in the Indonesian Super League.

Putra Samarinda

In January 2014, Spasojević signed for Putra Samarinda in the Indonesian Super League. In his 20 matches with Putra Samarinda in the 2014 season he scored 10 goals, becoming the club's top scorer and the third top scorer of the Indonesia Super League. He also scored 2 goals in 3 matches in the 2014 Inter Island Cup.

Persib Bandung

After his good performance in the 2014 season, Spasojević was one of the most wanted[18] players during the transfer window for the 2015 season. City rivals from Bandung showed most interest in signing him, as both Persipasi Bandung Raya (PBR) coach Dejan Antonić and Persib Bandung coach Djadjang Nurdjaman admitted to media[19] that Spasojević was their main target for the foreign striker spot. After long negotiations with both teams, Spasojević finally joined PBR[20] on 1 December 2014, becoming the most expensive player in the 2015 Indonesia Super League.[21] Before he played any official match for the new club, Spasojević left PBR due to the club's internal problems and eventually joined Indonesian champions Persib Bandung[22] on 23 March 2015. He was named "man of the match"[23] in his league debut against Semen Padang on 4 April 2015, with his header assisting in a 1:0 victory. Spasojević played only two league matches for Persib Bandung in 2015 as the 2015 Indonesia Super League was officially discontinued by the Football Association of Indonesia on 2 May 2015 due to a ban by the Ministry of Youth and Sports Affairs. In August 2015, the Indonesian government appointed president of Inter Milan and owner of Mahaka Group Erick Thohir to organize the highest level soccer competition in the country, named the President Cup, which started on 30 August in Bali and ended on 18 October 2015 in Jakarta, where the final was held.

During the President Cup, Spasojević showed his top performance and played a key role in Persib Bandung winning another trophy. During the 6 matches he played, he managed to score 4 goals[3] and add 1 assist, collecting 462 minutes on the pitch. He was named "man of the match" twice during the President Cup, on 3 September in a 4:0 win over Persiba Balikpapan[24] when he scored 2 early goals, and on 10 October in a 3:1 win over Mitra Kukar[25] in the semifinal second leg, when he scored a crucial third goal which secured Persib Bandung a place in the final. Spasojević was also named as the best striker[26] in the President Cup by Labbola, leading Indonesian company for Football Statistics Data & Analysis.

Melaka United

In December 2015 Spasojević signed 2-year contract with Melaka United. He was immediately appointed as team captain due to his experience and leadership abilities. That showed up to be a good decision as he led Melaka United to win Malaysia Premier League 2016 by scoring 24 goals from total 48 goals scored by Melaka United in Malaysia Premier League 2016.[27] That was club's first league trophy after 33 years without silverware. Spasojević also won Malaysia Golden Boot 2016 and he was named twice as PFA Malaysia Player of the Month. Due to his superb performance in Melaka United jersey, he became the first foreigner in club's history to receive Bintang Cemerlang Melaka award from Melaka Governor Mohd Khalil Yaakob.[28] After scoring 30 goals in 35 matches played in Malaysia, Spasojević and Melaka United took sides in June 2017.

Bhayangkara

In August 2017, Spasojević signed for Bhayangkara in Indonesian Liga 1.[29] For short time in the club Spasojević already proved his goalscoring ability. He scored 13 goals in 16 league matches, becoming club's top scorer of season 2017. In decisive match for the league title on 8 November, Spasojević scored hattrick[30] as Bhayangkara beat Madura United 3:1 away and became inaugural champion of Indonesian Liga 1.

International career

Spasojević was playing for Serbia-Montenegro U17 and Serbia-Montenegro U19. In 2006, Montenegrins voted on an independence referendum and Serbia and Montenegro became independent countries. Spasojević decided to play for Montenegro U21.[31]

In October 2017, Spasojevic officially gained Indonesian citizenship.[32] Spasojević made his debut for Indonesia in an unofficial friendly match in a loss to the Syria national U-23 team on 18 November 2017.[33] A week later he made his official debut on 25 November in a match against Guyana. Spasojević scored twice in a 2–1 win.[34]

International goals
Scores and results list Indonesia's goal tally first.[35]
#DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
1.25 November 2017Patriot Chandrabhaga Stadium, Bekasi, Indonesia Guyana1–12–1Friendly
2.2–1
3.25 March 2019Mandalarthiri Stadium, Mandalay, Myanmar Myanmar2–02–0Friendly

Honours

Club
Dinamo Tbilisi[3]
Persib Bandung[3]
Melaka United[3]
Bhayangkara[3]
Bali United

International
Indonesia

Individual

Personal life

Ilija Spasojević had been married to an Indonesian wife Lelhy and lives in Indonesia. Both of his kids are Indonesian citizens. His son Dragan was born on 28 November 2014 and his daughter Irina was born on 27 February 2017.[40] Lelhy Spasojević died on 20 November 2019 due to lung infection.[41]

References
  1. "Ilija Spasojević". baliuted.com. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
  2. "Ilija Spasojević: Profile". worldfootball.net. HEIM:SPIEL. Retrieved 10 October 2020.
  3. "Indonesia - I. Spasojević - Profile with news, career statistics and history - Soccerway". int.soccerway.com.
  4. "Spasogoal have two targets this season".
  5. "FK ČSK Pivara Čelarevo : Prva liga Telekom Srbija". web.archive.org. 6 April 2009.
  6. "ILIJA SPASOJEVIC - FC Dinamo Tbilisi 2007-2009 [highlights] - YouTube". www.youtube.com.
  7. "Spasojevic replacing Wichniarek at Arminia Bielefeld?". Bild.
  8. "sportal.rs". www.sportal.rs.
  9. "Timnas U-23 Bekuk Bali Devata" [U-23 National team conquer Bali Devata]. Goal (www.goal.com) (in Indonesian). 24 August 2011. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016.
  10. "Brescia interested in PSM goal-machine Ilija Spasojevic".
  11. "Ilija Spasojevic is staying at PSM".
  12. "Spasojevic wants to be a topscorer this season".
  13. "Spasojevic rejects Thai approach".
  14. "The best team of 2011–12 season in Indonesia". Goal (www.goal.com).
  15. "Spaso Bangga Bermain dengan Fabregas - Makassar - koran.tempo.co". Tempo. 6 July 2012.
  16. "ILIJA SPASOJEVIC goal (assist Cesc Fabregas) 05.07.2012. - YouTube". www.youtube.com.
  17. "Indonesian club Mitra Kukar looking to sign Shevchenko | Goal.com". Goal (www.goal.com).
  18. VIVA, PT VIVA MEDIA BARU- (20 November 2014). "Duo Bandung Rebutan Striker Montenegro". www.viva.co.id.
  19. "Djadjang Nurdjaman Akui Minati Ilija Spasojevic | Goal.com". Goal (www.goal.com).
  20. "Spaso belongs to PBR".
  21. "Dikontrak PBR, Spasojevic Salah Satu Pemain Termahal di ISL". sepakbola.
  22. "RESMI: Persib Bandung Daratkan Ilija Spasojevic | Goal.com". Goal (www.goal.com).
  23. "Persib Bandung vs Semen Padang: Spaso Terbaik". liputan6.com. 5 April 2015.
  24. "Persib Bandung vs Persiba, Spaso scores brace".
  25. "Hasil Persib Vs Mitra Kukar: Gol Spaso Jadi Penentu Lolosnya Persib!".
  26. "Labbola's Best XI + 6 from the 2015 President Cup". 27 October 2015.
  27. "Malaysia Premier League Topscorers".
  28. "Pemain import dianugerah Bintang Cemerlang Melaka". Malaysiakini. 15 October 2016.
  29. "Target Ilija Spasojevic Bersama Bhayangkara FC" (in Indonesian).
  30. "Spasojevic's hat-trick fires Bhayangkara to Liga 1 title". Goal.com.
  31. Aji, Murfi. "Kisah Spasojevic Tolak Panggilan Timnas Montenegro Demi Indonesia".
  32. "Bhayangkara hitman Spasojevic gains Indonesia citizenship". Fox Sports Asia.
  33. Frengky Aruan (18 November 2017). "Tak Mampu Bendung Suriah U-23, Timnas Indonesia Takluk 0–1" (in Indonesian). Sport Satu. Retrieved 19 November 2017.
  34. Iman Rahman Cahyadi (25 November 2017). "Spasojevic Antarkan Timnas Indonesia Kalahkan Guyana" (in Indonesian). Sport Satu. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
  35. "Spasojević, Ilija". National Football Teams. Retrieved 30 November 2017.
  36. Post, The Jakarta. "Persib beats Sriwijaya to win Presidents Cup". The Jakarta Post. Retrieved 8 January 2017.
  37. "Bhayangkara FC Juara Liga 1 Indonesia Musim 2017". Retrieved 8 November 2017.
  38. "Spasojevic pemain terbaik Liga Perdana" (in Malay). Berita Harian.
  39. Baru, PT Liga Indonesia. "Inilah Tim Terbaik Shopee Liga 1 2019". liga-indonesia.id. Retrieved 26 December 2019.
  40. "Sepasang Buah Hati Menggemaskan Jadi Sumber Semangat Ilija Spasojevic". bola.com (in Indonesian). 13 March 2019.
  41. "Supruga popularnog nogometaša iznenada preminula, prije tri dana hitno završila u bolnici". Dnevnik.hr.
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