Yuri Nikiforov
Encyclopedia
Yuri Valeryevich Nikiforov (alternate spelling Valeriovych; , , born 16 September 1970) is a retired Ukrainian
-Russia
n footballer who played mainly as a central defender.
, Ukraine
, Soviet Union
, Nikiforov started playing professionally with hometown's FC Chornomorets. After one year with FC Dynamo Kyiv
solely appearing for the reserve side, he returned to his first club, playing in the inaugural edition of the Ukrainian Premier League
.
In early 1993, Nikiforov moved to Russia
with FC Spartak Moscow
, being an instrumental defensive unit as the capital
side won three out of four 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 Holland
, starting with PSV Eindhoven, which he helped to consecutive Eredivisie
accolades. In 2002–03, the 32-year old played with lowly RKC Waalwijk
, with the club finishing in a comfortable ninth place. He finished his career in Japan
, after one year with Urawa Red Diamonds
.
in 1992, as the national team that rose from the ashes of the Soviet Union
took part in that year's UEFA European Football Championship
- he did not make the squad for the finals. His debut came on January 25, in a 1–0 friendly with 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 Cup
s - 1994
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
.
|1987||Odessa
||||5||0||||||||||||||5||0
|-
|1988||Chernomorets Odessa||Top League
||1||0||||||||||||||1||0
|-
|1989||Dynamo Kyiv
||Top League
||2||0||||||||||||||2||0
|-
|1990||rowspan="2"|Chernomorets Odessa||rowspan="2"|Top League
||17||0||||||||||||||17||0
|-
|1991||30||2||||||||||||||30||2
|-
|1992||rowspan="2"|Chernomorets Odessa||rowspan="2"|Premier League
||18||2||||||||||||||18||2
|-
|1992/93||24||3||||||||||||||24||3
|-
|1993||rowspan="4"|Spartak Moscow
||rowspan="4"|Top League
||23||0||||||||||||||23||0
|-
|1994||26||2||||||||||||||26||2
|-
|1995||22||8||||||||||||||22||8
|-
|1996||14||5||||||||||||||14||5
|-
|1996/97||rowspan="2"|Sporting Gijón
||rowspan="2"|La Liga
||38||2||||||||||||||38||2
|-
|1997/98||27||1||||||||||||||27||1
|-
|1998/99||rowspan="4"|PSV||rowspan="4"|Eredivisie
||25||1||||||||||||||25||1
|-
|1999/00||29||3||||||||||||||29||3
|-
|2000/01||26||1||||||||||||||26||1
|-
|2001/02||19||0||||||||||||||19||0
|-
|2002/03||RKC
||Eredivisie
||29||1||||||||||||||29||1
|-
|2003||rowspan="2"|Urawa Red Diamonds
||rowspan="2"|J. League 1||12||0||0||0||4||0||colspan="2"|-||16||0
|-
|2004||0||0||0||0||0||0||colspan="2"|-||0||0
55||2||||||||||||||55||2
42||5||||||||||||||42||5
85||15||||||||||||||85||15
65||3||||||||||||||65||3
128||6||||||||||||||128||6
12||0||0||0||4||0||colspan="2"|-||16||0
387||31||0||0||4||0||0||0||391||31
|}
|1992||4||0
|-
!Total||4||0
|}
|-
|1992||3||0
|-
!Total||3||0
|}
|-
|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
|}
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
-Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n footballer who played mainly as a central defender.
Club career
Born in OdessaOdessa
Odessa or Odesa is the administrative center of the Odessa Oblast located in southern Ukraine. The city is a major seaport located on the northwest shore of the Black Sea and the fourth largest city in Ukraine with a population of 1,029,000 .The predecessor of Odessa, a small Tatar settlement,...
, Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
, Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, Nikiforov started playing professionally with hometown's FC Chornomorets. After one year with FC Dynamo Kyiv
FC Dynamo Kyiv
FC Dynamo Kyiv is a professional football club based in the Ukrainian capital city of Kyiv. Founded in 1927, the club currently participates in the Ukrainian Premier League and has spent its entire history in the top league of Soviet and later Ukrainian football...
solely appearing for the reserve side, he returned to his first club, playing in the inaugural edition of the Ukrainian Premier League
Ukrainian Premier League
The Ukrainian Premier League is the highest division of Ukrainian annual football championship. As the Supreme League it was founded in 1991 after the fold of the Soviet Union's Vysshaya Liga. In 2008 it was reformed into a more autonomous entity of the Football Federation of Ukraine and changed...
.
In early 1993, Nikiforov moved to Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
with FC Spartak Moscow
FC Spartak Moscow
FC Spartak Moscow is a Russian football club from Moscow. Having won 12 Soviet championships and 9 of 19 Russian championships they are one of the country's most successful clubs. They have also won the Soviet Cup 10 times and the Russian Cup 3 times...
, being an instrumental defensive unit as the capital
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
side won three out of four league
Russian Premier League
The Russian Premier League , currently called SOGAZ Russian Football Championship due to sponsorship reasons, is the top division of Russian football. There are 16 teams in the competition...
titles, with the player also netting regularly. His first abroad experience came with Sporting de Gijón
Sporting de Gijón
Real Sporting de Gijón, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club from Gijón, Asturias. Founded in 1 June 1905, it currently plays in Spanish first division....
, to where he arrived at the same time as former compatriot Dmitri Cheryshev
Dmitri Cheryshev
Dmitri Nikolayevich Cheryshev is an association football player. Since 2008 to 2010, he worked as a coach for one of children's team in Real Madrid C.F. Currently, he is a manager of FC Volga Nizhny Novgorod in the Russian Premier League...
(he would also share team with another Russian while in Asturias
Asturias
The Principality of Asturias is an autonomous community of the Kingdom of Spain, coextensive with the former Kingdom of Asturias in the Middle Ages...
, Igor Lediakhov).
After Gijón's relegation from La Liga
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
, Nikiforov played five years in Holland
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, starting with PSV Eindhoven, which he helped to consecutive Eredivisie
Eredivisie
The Eredivisie is the highest football league in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956 two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is currently ranked the ninth best league in Europe by UEFA....
accolades. In 2002–03, the 32-year old played with lowly RKC Waalwijk
RKC Waalwijk
RKC Waalwijk is a football club currently playing in the Eredivisie. Its name is derived from 'Rooms Katholieke Combinatie' and was a fusion club of HEC, WVB and Hercules.-History:...
, with the club finishing in a comfortable ninth place. He finished his career in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, after one year with Urawa Red Diamonds
Urawa Red Diamonds
are a professional association football club playing in Japan's football league, J. League Division 1. One of Japan and Asia's best supported teams, the club has been able to boast the highest average crowds for thirteen of the J-League's twenty season history...
.
International career
Nikiforov played four times for the Commonwealth of Independent StatesCIS national football team
The CIS national football team represented the Commonwealth of Independent States, a regional confederation formed by 12 of the 15 newly formed sovereign states that emerged out of the break-up of the Soviet Union between 1990 and early 1992...
in 1992, as the national team that rose from the ashes of the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
took part in that year's UEFA European Football Championship
UEFA European Football Championship
The UEFA European Football Championship is the main football competition of the men's national football teams governed by UEFA . Held every four years since 1960, in the even-numbered year between World Cup tournaments, it was originally called the UEFA European Nations Cup, changing to the current...
- he did not make the squad for the finals. His debut came on January 25, in a 1–0 friendly with the United States
United States men's national soccer team
The United States men's national soccer team represents the United States in international association football competitions. It is controlled by the United States Soccer Federation and competes in CONCACAF...
, in Miami.
After briefly representing Ukraine
Ukraine national football team
The Ukraine national football team is the national football team of Ukraine and is controlled by the Football Federation of Ukraine. After Ukrainian Independence and breakaway from the Soviet Union, they played their first match against Hungary on 29 April 1992...
, also in that year, Nikiforov switched to Russia
Russia national football team
The Russia national football team represents Russia in association football and is controlled by the Russian Football Union , the governing body for football in Russia. Russia's home grounds are Luzhniki Stadium, Lokomotiv Stadium , and Petrovsky Stadium in St.Petersburg and their head coach is...
, with which he would participate in two FIFA World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
s - 1994
1994 FIFA World Cup
The 1994 FIFA World Cup, the 15th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in nine cities across the United States from June 17 to July 17, 1994. The United States was chosen as the host by FIFA on July 4, 1988...
and 2002
2002 FIFA World Cup
The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0...
- as well as UEFA Euro 1996 (eight matches in total, but with the national side always exiting in the group stage).
In 2009
2009 Legends Cup
2009 Legends Cup was the first edition of the Legends Cup, a tournament for senior retired players . The teams invited to the tournament were Russia, Netherlands, France, Spain, Portugal and Italy....
, Nikiforov was part of the Russian squad that won the Legends Cup
Legends Cup
The Legends Cup is a yearly football tournament held in Russia since 2009 for senior retired football players. A match in that tournament lasts 40 minutes, 20 minutes a half. The half-time takes 10 minutes. There are 5 field players and a goalie...
.
Club
|-|1987||Odessa
SK Odessa
SK Odesa is a former Ukrainian football team. The team was located in Odessa, Ukraine.- Brief history :The club was founded as a sport society of various disciplines in 1944. It began its legacy in the Soviet sport competitions under the name of ODO , which meant Regional Officers' Club in Russian...
||||5||0||||||||||||||5||0
|-
|1988||Chernomorets Odessa||Top League
Soviet Top League
The Soviet Top League since 1970 was officially known as the Supreme League serving as the top division of Soviet Union football since 1936.It was one of the best football leagues in Europe ranking second among the UEFA members in 1988-1989 seasons...
||1||0||||||||||||||1||0
|-
|1989||Dynamo Kyiv
FC Dynamo Kyiv
FC Dynamo Kyiv is a professional football club based in the Ukrainian capital city of Kyiv. Founded in 1927, the club currently participates in the Ukrainian Premier League and has spent its entire history in the top league of Soviet and later Ukrainian football...
||Top League
Soviet Top League
The Soviet Top League since 1970 was officially known as the Supreme League serving as the top division of Soviet Union football since 1936.It was one of the best football leagues in Europe ranking second among the UEFA members in 1988-1989 seasons...
||2||0||||||||||||||2||0
|-
|1990||rowspan="2"|Chernomorets Odessa||rowspan="2"|Top League
Soviet Top League
The Soviet Top League since 1970 was officially known as the Supreme League serving as the top division of Soviet Union football since 1936.It was one of the best football leagues in Europe ranking second among the UEFA members in 1988-1989 seasons...
||17||0||||||||||||||17||0
|-
|1991||30||2||||||||||||||30||2
|-
|1992||rowspan="2"|Chernomorets Odessa||rowspan="2"|Premier League
Ukrainian Premier League
The Ukrainian Premier League is the highest division of Ukrainian annual football championship. As the Supreme League it was founded in 1991 after the fold of the Soviet Union's Vysshaya Liga. In 2008 it was reformed into a more autonomous entity of the Football Federation of Ukraine and changed...
||18||2||||||||||||||18||2
|-
|1992/93||24||3||||||||||||||24||3
|-
|1993||rowspan="4"|Spartak Moscow
FC Spartak Moscow
FC Spartak Moscow is a Russian football club from Moscow. Having won 12 Soviet championships and 9 of 19 Russian championships they are one of the country's most successful clubs. They have also won the Soviet Cup 10 times and the Russian Cup 3 times...
||rowspan="4"|Top League
Russian Premier League
The Russian Premier League , currently called SOGAZ Russian Football Championship due to sponsorship reasons, is the top division of Russian football. There are 16 teams in the competition...
||23||0||||||||||||||23||0
|-
|1994||26||2||||||||||||||26||2
|-
|1995||22||8||||||||||||||22||8
|-
|1996||14||5||||||||||||||14||5
|-
|1996/97||rowspan="2"|Sporting Gijón
Sporting de Gijón
Real Sporting de Gijón, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club from Gijón, Asturias. Founded in 1 June 1905, it currently plays in Spanish first division....
||rowspan="2"|La Liga
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
||38||2||||||||||||||38||2
|-
|1997/98||27||1||||||||||||||27||1
|-
|1998/99||rowspan="4"|PSV||rowspan="4"|Eredivisie
Eredivisie
The Eredivisie is the highest football league in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956 two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is currently ranked the ninth best league in Europe by UEFA....
||25||1||||||||||||||25||1
|-
|1999/00||29||3||||||||||||||29||3
|-
|2000/01||26||1||||||||||||||26||1
|-
|2001/02||19||0||||||||||||||19||0
|-
|2002/03||RKC
RKC Waalwijk
RKC Waalwijk is a football club currently playing in the Eredivisie. Its name is derived from 'Rooms Katholieke Combinatie' and was a fusion club of HEC, WVB and Hercules.-History:...
||Eredivisie
Eredivisie
The Eredivisie is the highest football league in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956 two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is currently ranked the ninth best league in Europe by UEFA....
||29||1||||||||||||||29||1
|-
|2003||rowspan="2"|Urawa Red Diamonds
Urawa Red Diamonds
are a professional association football club playing in Japan's football league, J. League Division 1. One of Japan and Asia's best supported teams, the club has been able to boast the highest average crowds for thirteen of the J-League's twenty season history...
||rowspan="2"|J. League 1||12||0||0||0||4||0||colspan="2"|-||16||0
|-
|2004||0||0||0||0||0||0||colspan="2"|-||0||0
55||2||||||||||||||55||2
42||5||||||||||||||42||5
85||15||||||||||||||85||15
65||3||||||||||||||65||3
128||6||||||||||||||128||6
12||0||0||0||4||0||colspan="2"|-||16||0
387||31||0||0||4||0||0||0||391||31
|}
International
|-|1992||4||0
|-
!Total||4||0
|}
|-
|1992||3||0
|-
!Total||3||0
|}
|-
|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
|}
Club
- Ukrainian CupUkrainian CupThe Ukrainian Cup is a national knockout cup competition in Ukrainian football, run by the Football Federation of Ukraine. The winner of the competition is awarded a qualification to the UEFA Cup , under special circumstances the finalist also may enter...
: 1992 - Russian LeagueRussian Premier LeagueThe Russian Premier League , currently called SOGAZ Russian Football Championship due to sponsorship reasons, is the top division of Russian football. There are 16 teams in the competition...
: 1993, 1994, 1996 - Russian Cup: 1994
- Dutch LeagueEredivisieThe Eredivisie is the highest football league in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956 two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is currently ranked the ninth best league in Europe by UEFA....
: 1999–2000, 2000–01
Country
- FIFA U-16 World CupFIFA U-17 World CupThe FIFA U-17 World Cup, founded as the FIFA U-16 World Championship, later changed to the FIFA U-17 World Championship and known by its current name since 2007, is the world championship of association football for male players under the age of 17 organized by Fédération Internationale de Football...
: 1987 - UEFA European Under-19 Football ChampionshipUEFA European Under-19 Football ChampionshipThe European Under 19 Football Championship is an annual football competition organised by the sport's European governing body, UEFA. The competition has been held since 1948. It was originally called the FIFA junior tournament, until it was taken over by UEFA in 1955...
: 1988 - Legends CupLegends CupThe Legends Cup is a yearly football tournament held in Russia since 2009 for senior retired football players. A match in that tournament lasts 40 minutes, 20 minutes a half. The half-time takes 10 minutes. There are 5 field players and a goalie...
: 2009, 2010
Personal
Nikiforov's older brother, Oleksandr, also played professional football, also representing Chornomorets (four different spells), and coinciding with Yuri from 1989–90.External links
- RussiaTeam biography and profile
- KLISF statistics
- Beijen profile
- BDFutbol profile
- Yury Nikiforov - International Appearances; at RSSSFRec.Sport.Soccer Statistics FoundationThe Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation is an international amateur organization dedicated to collecting statistics about association football...