Yuriy Nikiforov facts for kids
Nikiforov as coach of Dynamo Moscow in 2019
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Yuriy Valeryevich Nikiforov | ||
| Date of birth | 16 September 1970 | ||
| Place of birth | Odesa, Ukrainian SSR (now Ukraine) | ||
| Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Centre-back | ||
| Team information | |||
|
Current team
|
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) | |
| International career | |||
| 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) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 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) | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Yuriy Valeryevich Nikiforov is a well-known football coach and a former player. He was born on September 16, 1970. Yuriy mainly played as a central defender, which is a key position in football defense. Today, he works as an assistant coach for the Russia national football team.
Contents
Playing for Football Clubs
Yuriy Nikiforov began his professional football journey in his hometown of Odesa, Ukraine. He started playing for Chornomorets Odesa. After a short time with Dynamo Kyiv, where he played for their reserve team, he returned to Chornomorets. He even played in the very first season of the Ukrainian Premier League in 1992.
Success in Russia
In 1993, Yuriy moved to Russia and joined Spartak Moscow. He became a very important player in their defense. During his time there, Spartak Moscow won three Russian Premier League titles. Yuriy also scored goals regularly, which is impressive for a defender!
Playing in Europe
Later, Yuriy moved to Spain to play for Sporting de Gijón. He joined the team at the same time as another Russian player, Dmitri Cheryshev. After Gijón was moved down to a lower league, Yuriy played for five years in the Netherlands.
He first played for PSV Eindhoven, helping them win the Eredivisie (the top Dutch league) two times in a row. In 2002, he joined RKC Waalwijk, another team in the Dutch top league. He finished his playing career in Japan, playing for Urawa Red Diamonds for one year.
Playing for His Country
Yuriy Nikiforov had a unique international career, playing for three different national teams!
CIS and Ukraine
In 1992, he played four games for the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). This team was formed after the Soviet Union broke up. They even took part in the UEFA European Championship that year. Later in 1992, he briefly played for the Ukrainian national team.
Representing Russia
After playing for CIS and Ukraine, Yuriy decided to play for Russia. He played in two FIFA World Cup tournaments: in 1994 and 2002. He also played in the UEFA Euro 1996 tournament. Even though Russia didn't get past the group stage in these big tournaments, Yuriy played in eight matches overall. In 2009, he was part of the Russian team that won the Legends Cup.
International Goals
Yuriy Nikiforov scored some important goals for Russia. Here are his international goals:
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 17 August 1994 | Wörthersee Stadion, Klagenfurt, Austria |  Austria |
2–0 | 3–0 | Friendly |
| 2 | 12 October 1994 | Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow, Russia |  San Marino |
3–0 | 4–0 | UEFA Euro 1996 qualifying |
| 3 | 26 April 1995 | Kaftanzoglio Stadium, Thessaloniki, Greece |  Greece |
1–0 | 3–0 | UEFA Euro 1996 qualifying |
| 4 | 28 August 1996 | Dynamo Stadium, Moscow, Russia |  Brazil |
1–0 | 2–2 | Friendly |
| 5 | 1 September 1996 | Dynamo Stadium, Moscow, Russia |  Cyprus |
1–0 | 4–0 | 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 6 | 3–0 |
Becoming a Coach
After he stopped playing football, Yuriy Nikiforov started a new career as a coach. He became an assistant coach, working with his former PSV teammate Dmitri Khokhlov. He helped coach teams like FC Kuban Krasnodar and FC Dynamo Moscow in the Russian Premier League. Since August 12, 2022, he has been an assistant coach for the Russia national football team, working with head coach Valeri Karpin.
About His Family
Yuriy Nikiforov has an older brother named Oleksandr Nikiforov. Oleksandr was also a football player. He played for Chornomorets Odesa several times and even played on the same team as Yuriy from 1989 to 1990.
Football Achievements
Yuriy Nikiforov won many awards and championships during his career:
With Chornomorets Odesa
- Ukrainian Cup (1): 1992
With Spartak Moscow
- Russian Football Premier League (3): 1993, 1994, 1996
- Russian Cup (1): 1994
With PSV Eindhoven
- Eredivisie (2): 1999–2000, 2000–01
- Johan Cruyff Shield (3): 1998, 2000, 2001
With Soviet Union Youth Teams
- FIFA U-16 World Cup (1): 1987
- UEFA European Under-18 Championship (1): 1988
With Russia Legends Team
- Legends Cup (2): 2009, 2010
See also
In Spanish: Yuri Nikíforov para niños
