{{short description|German footballer}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2026}} {{Infobox football biography | name = Filip Bilbija | image = | full_name = | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|2000|4|24}} | birth_place = Berlin, Germany<ref name="FCI"/> | height = 1.89 m<ref name="FCI">{{cite web |url=https://www.fcingolstadt.de/profis/das-team/kader-details/spieler/bilbija/ |title=Filip Bilbija |website=FC Ingolstadt 04 |access-date=2 August 2019 |language=German |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190802073046/https://www.fcingolstadt.de/profis/das-team/kader-details/spieler/bilbija/ |archive-date=2 August 2019}}</ref> | position = Midfielder | currentclub = SC Paderborn | clubnumber = 7 | youthyears1 = {{0|0000}}–2016 | youthclubs1 = Tennis Borussia Berlin | youthyears2 = 2016–2018 | youthclubs2 = Hertha Zehlendorf | youthyears3 = 2018–2019 | youthclubs3 = FC Ingolstadt | years1 = 2019–2020 | clubs1 = FC Ingolstadt II | caps1 = 4 | goals1 = 2 | years2 = 2019–2022 | clubs2 = FC Ingolstadt | caps2 = 86 | goals2 = 12 | years3 = 2022–2023 | clubs3 = Hamburger SV | caps3 = 13 | goals3 = 1 | years4 = 2023– | clubs4 = SC Paderborn | caps4 = 89 | goals4 = 29 | club-update = 18 May 2026 }} '''Filip Bilbija''' (born 24 April 2000) is a German professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for {{German football updater|Paderbor}} club SC Paderborn.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bundesliga.com/en/2bundesliga/player/filip-bilbija|title=Filip Bilbija | SC Paderborn 07 | Player Profile | Bundesliga 2|website=www.bundesliga.com}}</ref>
==Career==
===Youth and Early Career===
Born in Berlin, Bilbija moved from the youth setup of Tennis Borussia Berlin to Hertha 03 Zehlendorf ahead of the 2016–17 season. In his first year there, he played in the second-tier Under 17 Regionalliga Northeast, before moving up to the Under 19 team for the 2017–18 season. After scoring 11 goals in 21 games{{citation needed|date=April 2026}} in the Under 19 Regionalliga Northeast, he moved to FC Ingolstadt for the 2018–19 season, immediately becoming a regular under Roberto Pätzold. Bilbija scored six goals in 24 Under 19 Bundesliga appearances in that season, as his side finished in 4th place in the South/Southwest division.
As a result of his performances for the U19s, Bilbija was promoted to the professional team, who had previously been relegated to the 3. Liga, for the 2019–20 season.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.fcingolstadt.de/alles-gute-fuer-die-zukunft-hamburger-sv-nimmt-bilbija-unter-vertrag/ |title=Alles Gute für die Zukunft! Hamburger SV nimmt Bilbija unter Vertrag |website=fcingolstadt.de |date=3 June 2022 |access-date=31 March 2025 |language=de}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.fcingolstadt.de/filip-bilbija-ingolstadt-ist-meine-zweite-heimat-geworden/ |title=Filip Bilbija: "Ingolstadt ist meine zweite Heimat geworden" |website=fcingolstadt.de |date=17 November 2020 |access-date=31 March 2025 |language=de}}</ref> He made his professional debut in the 3. Liga on 22 July 2019, coming on as a substitute in the 67th minute for Fatih Kaya in a 2–1 away win against Carl Zeiss Jena.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.worldfootball.net/match-report/ma8941203/lineup/ |title=FC Carl Zeiss Jena – FC Ingolstadt 04 1:2 (3. Liga 2019/2020, 1. Round) |website=worldfootball.net |publisher=HEIM:SPIEL |date=2 August 2019 |access-date=2 August 2019}}</ref> In his first year as a professional, he was used mostly as a reserve, starting seven times and scoring no goals in 23 3. Liga appearances. Ingolstadt finished in 4th place that season, advancing to the 3. Liga Promotion Round due to the ineligibility of FC Bayern Munich II to be promoted to the 2. Bundesliga. Bilbija featured in both the 2–0 first-leg defeat and the 3–1 second-leg win of that round against 1. FC Nürnberg, but his side remained in the third tier as a result of the away goals rule.
Bilbija became an important part of Tomas Oral's team in the 2020–21 season, making 35 league appearances and scoring five goals as Ingolstadt finished in 3rd place to qualify for the Promotion Round for the second successive season. Again, Bilbija played in both matches, scoring a decisive away goal in the second leg against VfL Osnabrück to earn his side a return to the 2. Bundesliga.
Following Oral's resignation immediately after promotion, three head coaches were appointed amid a difficult 2021–22 for the club - Bilbija's former U19 coach Pätzold, along with André Schubert and Rüdiger Rehm. Bilbija was a regular under all three, making 28 appearances and top scoring for his side with seven goals, but Ingolstadt were relegated in last place.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.kicker.de/karlsruhe-gegen-ingolstadt-2022-bundesliga-4722074/analyse |title=Hofmann schießt Ex-Klub Ingolstadt in die 3. Liga |website=kicker.de |date=22 April 2022 |access-date=31 March 2025 |language=de}}</ref> Bilbija subsequently left the club at the end of his contract.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.fcingolstadt.de/wertschaetzung-und-dankbarkeit-schanzer-verabschieden-langjaehrige-weggefaehrten/ |title=Wertschätzung und Dankbarkeit: Schanzer verabschieden langjährige Weggefährten |website=fcingolstadt.de |date=3 May 2022 |access-date=31 March 2025 |language=de}}</ref>
===Hamburger SV and SC Paderborn===
On 3 June 2022, Bilbija signed a four-year contract with 2. Bundesliga side Hamburger SV.<ref>{{cite web|publisher=Hamburger SV|url=https://www.hsv.de/news/hsv-verpflichtet-filip-bilbija|title=HSV VERPFLICHTET FILIP BILBIJA|date=3 June 2022|access-date=25 July 2022|language=de}}</ref> During his first season, other attacking options were preferred by head coach Tim Walter, and Bilbija made just 13 substitute appearances scoring one goal. His side finished third, but were defeated 5–1 on aggregate by VfB Stuttgart in the Bundesliga Promotion Round.
On 7 July 2023, he signed for SC Paderborn.<ref> {{cite web|url=https://www.scp07.de/Newsarchiv/Flexibler-Stuermer.html|title=FLEXIBLER STÜRMER|trans-title=FLEXIBLE STRIKER|website=www.scp07.de|language=German|date=7 July 2023|accessdate=7 July 2023}}</ref> He made 27 league appearances in his debut season for the club, scoring five goals.
==Personal life== Born in Germany, Bilbija is of Montenegrin and Serbian descent.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.hsv.de/en/bilbija-i-live-much-more-in-the-moment-since-then|title=Bilbija: "I live much more in the moment since then".|website=HSV.de}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== * [https://www.dfb.de/datencenter/personen/filip-bilbija/spieler Profile] at DFB.de * [https://www.kicker.de/filip-bilbija/spieler/3-liga/2019-20/fc-ingolstadt-04 Profile] at kicker.de
{{SC Paderborn 07 squad}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bilbija, Filip}} Category:2000 births Category:Living people Category:Footballers from Berlin Category:German men's footballers Category:German people of Montenegrin descent Category:German people of Serbian descent Category:Men's association football midfielders Category:FC Ingolstadt 04 players Category:FC Ingolstadt 04 II players Category:Hamburger SV players Category:SC Paderborn 07 players Category:Oberliga (football) players Category:3. Liga players Category:2. Bundesliga players Category:21st-century German sportsmen