Ilija Aračić

Ilija Aracic (born 15 November 1970 at Slavonski Brod ) is a former Croatian football player and current football coach.

Playing career

The age of nine he played in the youth at NK Ukrina Novo Selo. At 14, he changed the club his father Anto Aracic NK Polet Bosanksi Brod. Parallel to the school he trained as a technical draftsman. In Bosanksi Brod he then received his first professional contract. After a brief interlude in Slavonski Brod he changed to NK Rijeka.

Due to the Balkan conflict, he left Croatia and signed a contract with FC Chemnitz. Despite the decline in the regional league, he made Tennis Borussia attention, after which he moved to Berlin in 1997. When surprise hit in October 1998 from Tennis Borussia against Hertha BSC in the DFB Cup Aracic scored two goals for the 4-2 final score. Just two months later, he signed a contract with local rivals and met in his first game against Borussia Dortmund twice. When Hertha he played, among other things seven times in the Champions League but failed to make, which is why he moved to Arminia Bielefeld in 2000, against strong competition by storm.

Coaching career

2004 Aracic began his coaching career in the youth field of the FC Augsburg. Later he took over the U-19 of the Augsburg and also was responsible for the education and technical training association. He closed after he had already acquired the A- license in March 2011, the DFB Football Trainer training course successfully and thus received a UEFA Pro license.

Effective 1 January 2012 Ilija Aracic took over the U-19 VfB Stuttgart. On 31 October 2012, he extended his contract as U-19 coach at VfB until the end of June 2014.