After spending more than 20 years at Partizan, both youth and senior teams, Ilić became the most capped player in the club's history with more than 800 appearances (official and friendlies).

Born in Požarevac, Ilić initially came to Partizan in 1986 when his father Milan took him to a training session led by Florijan Matekalo.

Ilić made his competitive debut for Partizan on 26 October 1996, coming on as a second-half substitute in a 10–0 away victory over Borac Čačak, wearing the number 1 shirt.

In the following season, Ilić made his debut on the international scene, providing a late second-half assist to Dragan Isailović in a 1–0 home win over Croatia Zagreb on 23 July 1997.

In European competitions, Ilić finally managed to qualify with Partizan for the UEFA Champions League in the 2003–04 season, after eliminating Newcastle United in the last qualification round.

[5] Drawn in a group with Porto, Real Madrid and Marseille,[6] Ilić played in all six matches as Partizan recorded three draws and three losses.

In the 2004 winter transfer window, Ilić was loaned to Spanish club Celta de Vigo, on a six-month period with an option for a permanent deal.

After a successful comeback season with Partizan, Ilić moved abroad for the second time and signed a three-year contract with Turkish club Galatasaray on 8 July 2005.

With a total of 12 goals, Ilić was the team's third-highest scorer in the 2005–06 season, helping the club return the championship title to Ali Sami Yen after four years.

He was suspended by the club's board in September 2009 because of the alleged betting against Salzburg in their UEFA Europa League game with Lazio.

On 22 January 2010, Ilić officially rejoined Partizan from Red Bull Salzburg on a free transfer, penning a two-and-a-half-year contract.

[21] On 27 February 2010, Ilić made his official comeback appearance for the club against Borac Čačak at the same place as of his first match fourteen years earlier.

On 5 November 2017, Ilić became the oldest scorer in Serbian SuperLiga history by converting a penalty in a 3–1 away win against Mačva Šabac.

[30] On 23 May 2019, Ilić played his last official match for Partizan coming on as a late second-half substitute in a 1–0 win over Red Star Belgrade in the final of the 2018–19 Serbian Cup.

Having already been capped at under-21 level under both Milan Živadinović and Milovan Đorić, Ilić made his full international debut for FR Yugoslavia under Ilija Petković on 16 August 2000, coming on as a second-half substitute for Nenad Grozdić in a 2–1 away friendly win against Northern Ireland.

He eventually netted his first official goal for the national team on 17 April 2002, scoring the opener in a 4–1 home friendly win over Lithuania.

He also played in two of his team's UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying games, scoring the equalizer in a 1–1 home draw to Italy on 10 September 2003.

Afterwards, Ilić failed to receive a call-up for the national team until March 2008, when Miroslav Đukić selected him for a friendly against Ukraine.

He also appeared in a FIFA World Cup 2010 qualifier versus the Faroe Islands under Radomir Antić on 6 September 2008, in what would be his last international cap for the country.