If the story of 36-year-old Josip Ilicic was not true, it could be told as a fairy tale.
For four years the Slovenian striker was challenged by evil, which in his case was depression. The last few weeks have proven that good and Iliçiqi have triumphed.
Unexpectedly, Ilicic was first included in Slovenia's extended squad for the European Football Championship. And then on Tuesday night he scored in the friendly against Armenia. It was his first international match in almost three years.
The "Professor", as Atalanta fans used to call him, is back. At last.
Ilicic's long period of suffering began with the appearance of the coronavirus. When the virus first appeared, in 2020, he was in the prime of his career. His four goals in the 4:3 victory over Valencia are still remembered.
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It was March 2020 and the Champions League match.
After that match, nothing was the same. Bergamo was the epicenter of the epidemic. Isolated from his family in Slovenia, Iliciqi watched as army trucks carried the corpses out of the city. This opened old wounds in Iliçiqi. He recalled the time when he and his family left Bosnia for Slovenia because of the war.
Ilicic fell into depression. When the borders first opened in the summer of 2020, he went straight home for psychological treatment. This served him so well that he was able to make a fresh start in the fall of that year. It looked good. But this was only an external perception. He lost interest in football. A year later, the depression returned.
Things turned dark again in Ilicic's life and he disappeared from the stage and from the football fields. This time it seemed for a longer period. He returned to Slovenia. He stopped his career, lost his physical form and gave up mentally. Terminated the contract with Atalanta by mutual agreement.
Only then did the 36-year-old start to come back, step by step. In the autumn of 2022, Maribor, his youth club, offered him the opportunity to start playing football again. He signed, but was in no rush for anything.
Only in the last edition did he start playing regularly. And he was so impressive, with eight goals and 11 assists, that the selector Matjazh Kek will most likely take him to the European Championship.
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He has always dreamed of playing in a big tournament with Slovenia. It seems that his dream is finally coming true.
