Josip Ilicic is enjoying the Fifa international break with his family in his home country, Slovenia, and he ensured that his fans were carried along. The 31-year-old Atalanta forward took to his Instagram account to share pictures of his time out with his lovely kids.
In the first picture he shared on Instagram, the football star could be seen holding the hands of his two children, Sofia and Victoria.
In the latest picture he shared on Instagram, the 31-year-old Slovenia international could be seen riding his children on a bicycle.
Recall that Josip Ilicic has been out of football since he traveled to Slovenia due to an undisclosed personal reason. His sudden absence from football sparked speculation that he met his wife, Tina Polovina, in bed with another man which has forced him to slide into depression.
The rumor grew so strong that the Atalanta’s star was rumored to have said he wanted to quit football because he allegedly caught his wife cheating on him. However, Josip Ilicic used an encrypted picture he shared on his Instagram story showing his wife and himself, to announce to the world that his absence from football was not caused by his wife.
After that, he continued to remain out of football until the end of the 2019-2020 season, making Atalanta’s 2-2 draw with Juventus on July 11 his last competitive game of the season.
When the Italian Serie A clubs including Atalanta resumed for pre-season ahead of the commencement of the 2020-2021 season, Ilicic returned to Italy but he didn’t train with the team for no known reason.
The coach of the Italian club, Gian Piero Gasperini confirmed to the press that though Josip Ilicic has resumed for the new season, he would not participate in the club’s pre-season and he would not be rushed to commence training with the club.
Since then, Atalanta has played 3 Serie A matches and won them all to keep the club at the top of the league table but Josip Ilicic is yet to kick a ball for the club. He has not even made a matchday squad at the club since the season commenced.
Josip Ilicic was also left out of Slovenia national team squad for the country’s international friendly against San Marino which ended 4-0 in favor of his country. He will also be missing in his country’s UEFA Nations League matches against Kosovo today, October 11, and Moldova on October 14.
Josip Ilicic before July 11
Before Ilicic left the football scene in July, he has made 60 senior national team appearances for Slovenia and has scored 8 goals. On the other hand, the football star has made 111 appearances for Atalanta since 2017 when he joined the club from Fiorentina for €5.75 million. So far, Ilicic has scored a total number of 49 goals and has provided 28 assists for Atalanta.
The 2019-2020 season should have been a very perfect season for the versatile player if his sudden absence from football didn’t happen. For the first time in his career, the forward scored 4 goals for himself in the UEFA Champions League and was absent when his team crashed out in the quarter-finals stage of the competition after a 2-1 defeat in the hands of Paris Saint Germain.
Ilicic scored a total number of 21 goals in all competitions last season to become the club’s highest goalscorer despite the number of games he failed to play in. As it stands, Atalanta can only hope to have the Slovenian back as soon as possible.
