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Yuriy Nikiforov
Yuriy Nikiforov 2019.jpg
Nikiforov as coach of Dynamo Moscow in 2019
Personal information
Full name Yuriy Valeryevich Nikiforov
Date of birth (1970-09-16) 16 September 1970 (age 54)
Place of birth Odesa, Ukrainian SSR (now Ukraine)
Height 1.88 m
Playing position Centre-back
Club information
Current club Russia (assistant coach)
Youth career
Chornomorets Odesa
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1986–1987 Chornomorets Odesa 0 (0)
1987 SKA Odesa 5 (0)
1988 Chornomorets Odesa 1 (0)
1988–1989 Dynamo Kyiv 0 (0)
1990–1993 Chornomorets Odesa 76 (4)
1993–1996 Spartak Moscow 85 (16)
1993 Spartak-d Moscow 3 (2)
1996–1998 Sporting Gijón 65 (2)
1998–2002 PSV 99 (5)
2002–2003 RKC 23 (1)
2003–2004 Urawa Red Diamonds 12 (0)
Total 369 (30)
National team
1986–1987 Soviet Union U-16
1990–1991 Soviet Union U-21 5 (0)
1992 CIS 4 (0)
1992 Ukraine 3 (0)
1993–2002 Russia 55 (6)
Teams managed
2014–2015 Irtysh Pavlodar (assistant)
2015 Kuban Krasnodar (assistant)
2017 Dynamo-2 Moscow (assistant)
2017 Dynamo Moscow (reserves assistant)
2017–2019 Dynamo Moscow (assistant)
2022– Russia (assistant)
  • Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.
† Appearances (Goals).

Yuriy Valeryevich Nikiforov (alternate spelling Valeriovych; Юрий Валерьевич Никифоров, Ukrainian: Юрій Валерійович Никифоров; born 16 September 1970) is a professional football coach and a former player who played mainly as a central defender. He is an assistant coach with the Russia national team.

Club career

Born in Odesa, Ukraine, Soviet Union, Nikiforov started playing professionally with hometown's Chornomorets. After one year with Dynamo Kyiv in which he appeared solely for the reserves in the league, he returned to his first club, playing in the inaugural edition of the Ukrainian Premier League.

In early 1993, Nikiforov moved to Russia with Spartak Moscow, being an instrumental defensive unit as the capital side won three out of four Premier League titles, with the player also netting regularly. His first abroad experience came with Sporting de Gijón, to where he arrived at the same time as former compatriot Dmitri Cheryshev (he would also share team with another Russian while in Asturias, Igor Lediakhov).

After Gijón's relegation from La Liga, Nikiforov played five years in the Netherlands, starting with PSV Eindhoven which he helped to consecutive Eredivisie accolades. For 2002–03, the 32-year-old signed with lowly RKC Waalwijk also in the Dutch top level, with the club finishing in a comfortable ninth place. He finished his career in Japan, after one year with Urawa Red Diamonds.

International career

Nikiforov played four times for the Commonwealth of Independent States in 1992, as the national team that rose from the ashes of the Soviet Union took part in that year's UEFA European Championship – he did not make the squad for the finals. His debut came on 25 January in a 1–0 friendly win over the United States, in Miami.

After briefly representing Ukraine, also in that year, Nikiforov switched to Russia, with which he would participate in two FIFA World Cups1994 and 2002 – as well as UEFA Euro 1996 (eight matches in total, but with the national side always exiting in the group stage).

In 2009, Nikiforov was part of the Russian squad that won the Legends Cup.

Coaching career

After retiring, he became a coach, following his former PSV teammate Dmitri Khokhlov as an assistant to FC Kuban Krasnodar and FC Dynamo Moscow in the Russian Premier League.

On 12 August 2022, he was hired as an assistant to Valeri Karpin in the Russia national football team.

Personal life

Nikiforov's older brother, Oleksandr, was also a footballer. He too represented Chornomorets (four different spells), and coincided with Yuri from 1989 to 1990.

Career statistics

Club

Club Season League Cup Continental Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Chornomorets Odesa 1987 Soviet First League 0 0 0 0 0 0
SKA Odesa 1987 Soviet Second League 5 0 5 0
Chornomorets Odesa 1988 Soviet Top League 1 0 1 0
Dynamo Kyiv 1988 Soviet Top League 0 0 0 0
1989 Soviet Top League 0 0 2 0 1 0 3 0
Total 0 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 3 0
Chornomorets Odesa 1990 Soviet Top League 17 0 3 0 3 0 4 1 27 1
1991 Soviet Top League 30 2 4 1 34 3
1992 Ukrainian Premier League 18 2 6 1 24 3
1992–93 Ukrainian Premier League 11 0 1 0 4 4 16 4
Total 76 4 14 2 7 4 4 1 101 11
Spartak Moscow 1993 Russian Premier League 23 0 2 0 5 0 30 0
1994 Russian Premier League 26 2 5 0 9 0 40 2
1995 Russian Premier League 22 9 2 0 6 3 30 12
1996 Russian Premier League 14 5 3 2 2 2 19 9
Total 85 16 12 2 22 5 0 0 119 23
Spartak-d Moscow 1993 Russian Second League 3 2 1 0 4 2
Sporting Gijón 1996–97 La Liga 38 2 3 1 41 3
1996–97 La Liga 27 0 0 0 27 0
Total 65 2 3 1 0 0 0 0 68 3
PSV 1998–99 Eredivisie 25 1 4 1 5 0 1 0 35 2
1999–2000 Eredivisie 29 3 1 0 5 0 35 3
2000–01 Eredivisie 26 1 5 0 12 0 1 0 44 1
2001–02 Eredivisie 19 0 3 0 6 0 1 0 28 0
Total 99 5 13 1 28 0 3 0 143 6
RKC 2002–03 Eredivisie 23 1 4 0 27 1
Urawa Red Diamonds 2003 J1 League 12 0 4 0 16 0
Career total 369 30 49 6 57 9 12 1 486 46

National team

CIS
Year Apps Goals
1992 4 0
Total 4 0
Ukraine
Year Apps Goals
1992 3 0
Total 3 0
Russia
Year Apps Goals
1993 2 0
1994 9 2
1995 8 1
1996 13 3
1997 4 0
1998 4 0
1999 0 0
2000 0 0
2001 7 0
2002 8 0
Total 55 6

International goals

Scores and results list Russia's goal tally first.
No Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1. 17 August 1994 Wörthersee Stadion, Klagenfurt, Austria  Austria 2–0 3–0 Friendly match
2. 12 October 1994 Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow, Russia  San Marino 3–0 4–0 Euro 1996 qualifier
3. 26 April 1995 Kaftanzoglio Stadium, Thessaloniki, Greece  Greece 1–0 3–0 Euro 1996 qualifier
4. 28 August 1996 Dynamo Stadium, Moscow, Russia  Brazil 1–0 2–2 Friendly match
5. 1 September 1996 Dynamo Stadium, Moscow, Russia  Cyprus 1–0 4–0 1998 World Cup qualifier
6. 3–0

Honours

Club

Chornomorets Odesa

  • Ukrainian Cup (1): 1992

Spartak Moscow

PSV Eindhoven

Country

Soviet Union

  • FIFA U-16 World Cup (1): 1987
  • UEFA European Under-18 Championship (1): 1988

Russia

  • Legends Cup (2): 2009, 2010

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Yuri Nikíforov para niños

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