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.
 Nikiforov as coach of Dynamo Moscow in 2019 | |||
| 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 | |||
Club career
editBorn 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).[1]
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
editNikiforov 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 Cups – 1994 and 2002 – as well as UEFA Euro 1996 (eight matches in total, but with the national side always exiting in the group stage).[2]
In 2009, Nikiforov was part of the Russian squad that won the Legends Cup.
Coaching career
editAfter 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.[3]
Personal life
editNikiforov'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
editClub
edit| 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[a] | 0 | – | 1[b] | 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[a] | 0 | 4[b] | 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[c] | 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[d] | 0 | – | 30 | 0 | |
| 1994 | Russian Premier League | 26 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 9[d] | 0 | – | 40 | 2 | ||
| 1995 | Russian Premier League | 22 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 6[d] | 3 | – | 30 | 12 | ||
| 1996 | Russian Premier League | 14 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 2[d] | 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[d] | 0 | 1[e] | 0 | 35 | 2 |
| 1999–2000 | Eredivisie | 29 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 5[d] | 0 | – | 35 | 3 | ||
| 2000–01 | Eredivisie | 26 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 12[f] | 0 | 1[e] | 0 | 44 | 1 | |
| 2001–02 | Eredivisie | 19 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6[g] | 0 | 1[e] | 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[h] | 0 | 16 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 369 | 30 | 49 | 6 | 57 | 9 | 12 | 1 | 486 | 46 | ||
- ^ a b Appearances in the UEFA Cup
- ^ a b Appearances in the USSR Federation Cup
- ^ Appearances in the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
- ^ a b c d e f Appearances in the UEFA Champions League
- ^ a b c Appearance in the Johan Cruyff Shield
- ^ Six appearances in the UEFA Champions League, six appearances in the UEFA Cup
- ^ Three appearances in the UEFA Champions League, three appearances in the UEFA Cup
- ^ Appearances in the J.League Cup
National team
edit| 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
edit| No | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 17 August 1994 | Wörthersee Stadion, Klagenfurt, Austria | 2–0 | 3–0 | Friendly match | |
| 2. | 12 October 1994 | Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow, Russia | 3–0 | 4–0 | Euro 1996 qualifier | |
| 3. | 26 April 1995 | Kaftanzoglio Stadium, Thessaloniki, Greece | 1–0 | 3–0 | Euro 1996 qualifier | |
| 4. | 28 August 1996 | Dynamo Stadium, Moscow, Russia | 1–0 | 2–2 | Friendly match | |
| 5. | 1 September 1996 | Dynamo Stadium, Moscow, Russia | 1–0 | 4–0 | 1998 World Cup qualifier | |
| 6. | 3–0 |
Honours
editClub
editChornomorets Odesa
- Ukrainian Cup (1): 1992
Spartak Moscow
- Russian Football Premier League (3): 1993, 1994, 1996
- Russian Cup (1): 1994
PSV Eindhoven
- Eredivisie (2): 1999–2000, 2000–01
- Johan Cruyff Shield (3):1998, 2000, 2001
Country
editSoviet Union
Russia
- Legends Cup (2): 2009, 2010
References
edit- ^ "Desde Rusia con amor" [From Russia with love] (in Spanish). Fútbol de Primera. 16 December 2011. Retrieved 4 July 2016.
- ^ "Yury Nikiforov – International Appearances". RSSSF. Retrieved 18 July 2006.
- ^ ""Юрий Никифоров вошёл в тренерский штаб сборной России"" (in Russian). Russian Football Union. 12 August 2022.
- ^ "Yuriy Nikiforov". Footballdatabase. Retrieved 4 July 2016.
- ^ a b "Yuriy Nikiforov". EU-Football.info. Retrieved 4 July 2016.
- ^ "Товарищеские матчи национальной сборной: Россия - Бразилия 2:2, 28 августа 1996, среда". rfs.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 22 August 2024.
External links
edit- RussiaTeam biography and profile (in Russian)
- Yuriy Nikiforov at FootballFacts.ru (in Russian)
- Beijen profile (in Dutch)
- Yuriy Nikiforov at BDFutbol
- Yuriy Nikiforov at National-Football-Teams.com
- Yuriy Nikiforov – FIFA competition record (archived)
- Yuriy Nikiforov at J.League (archive) (in Japanese)
- Yuriy Nikiforov at UAF and archived FFU page (in Ukrainian)