Ilija Vukotić was born on 7 January 1999 in Montenegro. He was formed at FK Grbalj, and joined Benfica in 2017, being integrated into the club's under-19 and under-23 sides before moving up to Benfica B in November 2017.

A midfielder, he spent his Benfica years almost entirely with the reserve side in the second tier. He was registered with the first-team squad from November 2020 and remained on the senior list through 2020/21 without establishing himself. Benfica announced a renewal of his contract on 17 August 2021, running to 2023, at the same time as agreeing a two-season loan to Boavista, so he did not play for Benfica in 2021/22.

He remained at Boavista in Portugal's top flight until 2025, then joined OFI Crete in Greece. He has represented Montenegro at youth international level.

The start date of his earlier Benfica contract could not be confirmed from a reliable public source.