Slovenia forward Josip Ilicic opens up on Declan Rice’s brilliant gesture during England game

England midfielder Declan Rice made a beeline for Josip Ilicic after the Slovenian forward was introduced in the second-half of their Euro 2024 clash.

Ilicic made his first competitive appearance in 955 days for Slovenia on Tuesday night as Matjaz Kek's side booked their place in the knockout stages.

The former Palermo and Fiorentina striker, 36, has battled physical and mental health issues for a number of years.

Back in 2018, he was hospitalised with an infection in his lymph nodes; an illness that "changed" him. "I realised football isn’t everything in life," Ilicic said.

“At times people get angry over nothing, but that illness changed me. I didn’t even want to watch the games. My family, teammates and the coach stood by me, then once I recovered, it was an issue of finding match fitness.”

Ilicic was then severely affected by the sudden death of former Fiorentina teammate Davide Astori, who sadly passed away in the team hotel after suffering a cardiac arrest.

“I was afraid to go to sleep,” he told Sky Sports Italia. “I thought I would never wake up in the morning and see my family again. It was hard to recover. You start from below zero and you have to get used to moving and running again, as if I were a child.”

‘The Grand Master of Kranj' would go on to become a key member of an Atalanta side that defied the odds on numerous occasions but his mental health deteriorated during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.

In fact, the much-loved striker has left football behind on two separate occasions for mental health reasons, meaning minutes for Slovenia have been few and far between.

He did, however, make a much-anticipated return to the international fold in April, when he featured in a friendly against Armenia.

And after being named in Slovenia's final 26-man squad for this summer's European Championship in Germany, Ilicic featured for the first time in more than two years on Tuesday in their 0-0 draw against England.

Speaking after his 20-minute cameo against Gareth Southgate's side, Ilicic mentioned Declan Rice as someone who recognised his return.

"My story is inspirational? I'm glad to hear that, honestly. Even today, entering the pitch there was an England player who complimented me," he said.

"He told me he respects me a lot. It was nice to hear. My story is well known around the world. The player who said that? He's a midfielder for Arsenal, I'm sure you know him... Declan Rice."

Image credit: Getty

Ilicic also opened up on Slovenia qualifying for the knockout round of a major tournament for the first time in their history.

"It’s difficult to explain this emotion, it’s a wonderful thing especially for us players and for all the staff, and above all for the fans who came to support us.

"It’s not that I’m going to stop, but I was missing a finish line like this to say that I gave my all to achieve this type of match and result.“