Yuri Nikiforov: footballer of four national teams. Nikiforov Yuri Valerievich. Russian national football team Yuri Nikiforov: “Casillas and Akinfeev are the best goalkeepers in the world”

Candidate of Historical Sciences (2000), senior researcher at the Center for the History of Wars and Geopolitics of the Institute of History of History of the Russian Academy of Sciences, head of the Department of Russian History and Cultural Studies at Moscow State Humanitarian University. M.A. Sholokhov, professor of the Academy of Military Sciences. Head of the scientific department of the Russian Military Historical Society (RVIO).

Graduated from Moscow State Pedagogical University in 1997. Candidate's thesis on the topic "Debatable problems of the prehistory of the Great Patriotic War in recent domestic historiography" (MGOPU, 2000).

Scientific interests: History and historiography of the Second World War and the Great Patriotic War; history of int. relations in the 1930-1940s.

Essays:

World wars of the twentieth century. In 4 books. / Institute of General History RAS. Book 4.: Second World War: documents and materials. / Compiled by Yu.A. Nikiforov. M.: Nauka, 2002; 2nd ed. M.: Nauka, 2005;

Great Patriotic War 1941-1945. Book to read: In 2 parts. / scientific editor Yu.A. Nikiforov. Authors and compilers: Yu.A.Nikiforov, I.A.Damaskin, P.A.Koshel. Part 1-2. M.: OLMA-PRESS, 2005;

Illustrated encyclopedia "Russica". The Great Patriotic War. 1941-1945. / compiled by Yu.A. Nikiforov. M., 2005;

Maisky I.M. Diplomat's Diary. London, 1934-1943: in 2 books. / comp. L.V. Pozdeeva, O.A. Rzheshevsky, Yu.A. Nikiforov. / Rep. ed. acad. A.O. Chubaryan. Book 1: 1934 - September 3, 1939. M.: Nauka, 2006;

Russia: Illustrated Encyclopedia. / Editor-compiler Yu.A. Nikiforov. M.: OLMA Media Group", "OLMA-PRESS Education", 2006;

War and society in the twentieth century. In 3 books. / Institute of General History of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Book 3. War and society during the period of local wars and conflicts of the second half of the twentieth century. / Rep. ed. Yu.A. Nikiforov. M.: Nauka, 2008;

Maisky I.M. Diplomat's Diary. London, 1934-1943: in 2 books. / Comp. Yu.A. Nikiforov, L.V. Pozdeeva, O.A. Rzheshevsky, rep. ed. A.O. Chubaryan. (Scientific heritage; T.33: in 2 books). Book 2., part 2: June 22, 1941-1943. M.: Nauka, 2009;

The Great Patriotic War: encyclopedia / comp. Yu.A. Nikiforov, chief editor, academician A.O. Chubaryan. M., 2010;

The Great Patriotic War. M., 2010. (co-authored with O.A. Rzheshevsky);

History of the Great Patriotic War (1941-1945). Innovative training and metodology complex"Story". Module 2.5. Tutorial. M.: LLC “Integration: Education and Science”, 2010 (co-authored);

1941 Country on fire: in 2 books. Book 2. Documents and materials. / Compiled by Yu.A.Nikiforov, A.V.Isaev, M.Yu.Myagkov. M.: OLMA Media Group, 2011;

1941: documents and materials: for the 70th anniversary of the beginning of the Great Patriotic War: in 2 volumes / Rep. ed. Yu.A. Nikiforov. Compiled by: A.V. Isaev, A.M. Litvin, M.Yu. Myagkov, Yu.A. Nikiforov, D.V. Surzhik. SPb.: Federal State Budgetary Institution “Presidential Library named after B.N. Yeltsin", 2011. - (Collections of the Presidential Library). T.1-2. 2011;

Contemporary history of Russia: teaching at school. Textbook for universities. M., 2 013 - (co-authored);

The Great Patriotic War. Anniversary edition / O.A. Rzheshevsky, Yu.A. Nikiforov, N.N. Glukharev. M., 2015.

Nikiforov, Yuri Valerievich. Defender.

A student of the Odessa Sports School "Chernomorets" (first coach - Yuri Alekseevich Skorik).

He played for the teams SKA Odessa, Ukraine (1987), Chernomorets Odessa, Ukraine (1988, 1990–1992), Dynamo Kiev-double, Ukraine (1988–1989), Spartak Moscow (1993–1996), “ Sporting Gijon, Spain (1996–1998), PSV Eindhoven, Holland (1998–2002), Waalwijk Waalwijk, Holland (2002–2003), Urawa Red Diamonds Saitama, Japan (2003).

Champion of Russia 1993, 1994, 1996 Winner of the Russian Cup 1994. Champion of Holland 2000, 2001. Winner of the Ukrainian Cup 1992. Winner of the Japanese Cup 2003.

For the CIS (4) / Russia (55) teams he played 59 matches and scored 6 goals.

(Played 6 matches for the USSR Olympic team. * )

Participant in the 1994 and 2002 World Championships. Participant of the European Championship 1996

Winner of the 1987 Youth World Championship. Winner of the 1988 European Youth Championship.

Assistant head coach at the Irtysh club Pavlodar, Kazakhstan (2014–2015).

« Assistant head coach at the Kuban Krasnodar club (2015). Assistant head coach at the Dynamo-2 Moscow club (2017–...).»

APPETITE COMES WITH EATING

In the symbolic team of the year "Sport-Express" the place of one of the central defenders was taken by the player of Odessa "Chernomorets" Yuri Nikiforov.

Was the opinion of our reviewers surprising to you?

I admit: I didn’t expect it. I thought that my finest hour had not yet come.

A lot has worked out this season. I played all the matches and didn’t miss a single one.

I think that I was useful to Chernomorets, which, under more favorable circumstances, could have qualified for medals. But I’m disappointed with my performance for the Olympic team. Although I also took part in all the qualifying games. It's a shame that we have to miss Barcelona.

You, Yura, are young, you have everything ahead of you. Hope. Although at the age of 21 many football players achieved much more in Olympic tournaments

. One joy is the success of the Odessa team. I dream about playing in the UEFA Cup.

So fourth place in the championship is a success? Why not? After all, Chernomorets started with losses. Seven main team players left. They were replaced by newcomers, and Viktor Prokopenko had to create

new team

, in which, please note, mostly players are my age. We didn't expect to rise so high. But the appetite came during the game. Only after five rounds did we believe that we could even compete for a place in the top three.

- From your point of view, the best match of the season?

With Pakhtakor. Everything worked out. Two handsome men scored goals.

I didn’t have any special problems. I enjoyed watching my comrades play.

What is your opinion about the level of our championship?

The departure of the stars significantly equalized the chances of most teams. This is both a plus and a minus. But there are more advantages. After all, it is interesting for everyone when the fight for medals does not subside until the last round. And the example of comrades who ended up in reputable foreign teams stimulates.

Which foreign club would you like to play in?

Everyone wants to go to Italy. I'm not an exception. Judging by the fates of Zavarov and Mikhailichenko, it is difficult to break through there. But if you really dream, then about Milan or Inter.

We must pay tribute to your requests. Is it because everything in your life is going too smoothly?

Many people remember you as a lucky scorer. And suddenly - the best back defender.

I got the role of cleaner by accident. In 1987 he became the world junior champion, playing as a striker. Then Vladimir Salkov invited me to the Olympic team. Before a friendly match with the Romanians in Kyiv, when Zayets was injured, the coach unexpectedly invited me to play a cleaner. To be honest, I had no prospects ahead, where Salenko and Kiryakov were in charge. I agreed without a doubt. After that, he put me in Prokopenko’s defense. He replaced Kuznetsov, who today plays in Ferencvaros together with Ratz.

Are you satisfied with everything in today's football?

Everything except the judging. We missed a lot of points due to the bias of the referees. Let me give you an example. We were winning 1:0 with Dynamo Moscow, when six minutes before the end the referee awarded a completely unjustified penalty. I was nearby. I saw that my partner Sak made no mistake in the game with the striker. Maybe this point was not enough for us to win bronze.

And not because of the abundance of draws this season?

Of course, 16 draws is too much. But there were no agreements among them. We hope that everything that we couldn’t say this season, we will say in the next one. Both in the national championship and in the UEFA Cup.

It turns out that you are for the All-Union Championship?

As are all my teammates. The Ukrainian Championship needs to be prepared.

It would be unfair to deprive us and Dynamo Kyiv of participation in the European club tournament.

If you were Byshovets, would you include yourself in the national team? Anatoly Fedorovich - Main coach

. He knows better. But I would really like to attract his attention.

...Eduard LIPOVETSKY, Odessa. Newspaper "Sport-Express", 11/16/1991

IT'S DIFFICULT TO GET HIM OUT OF THE SADDLE

Nikiforov’s close friends, his national team partners Viktor Onopko and Valery Karpin, also shared the same opinion, and advised him to change his decision. However, each time they received a negative answer: “The fact is that I announced my resignation in the press, thereby cutting off my way back.”

Fortunately for Nikiforov and the fans, the national team coaches did not pose as offended, but continued to closely monitor the career of the Russian legionnaire in the Dutch championship, where Nikiforov demonstrated such a mature and confident game that I had never seen in his performance before, although I always considered him a football player high class.

No, it’s not without reason that they say that not only time changes us, but we ourselves change with time. And further confirmation of this is Nikiforov’s return to the national team, which took place in the midst of the 2002 World Cup qualifying tournament.

According to the footballer himself, there was such a friendly atmosphere in the national team that it seemed to him as if he had never left it at all. This and the trust of his coaches helped him show his trump cards in the decisive matches for the right to travel to Korea and Japan: sharpness, determination and fearlessness in martial arts, the ability in an extreme situation to insure a partner by shifting to his position, the ability to bring a forward to the goal with a pass at 60 or to join the attack in a timely manner and finish it with a strike of such power that only a few have in modern football.

But why be surprised if Nikiforov, in the early period of his football career, played the role of a striker, and in the first half of the 1996 season, on the eve of his departure from Spartak to Sporting Gijon, he brilliantly coped with the duties of a supporting midfielder - remember at least two amazing goals in his performance in the return match of the Champions League against Nantes in Cherkizovo. And still...

“I consider Nikiforov to be the best defensive player of the Russian national team in recent times,” Onopko recently said in an interview with Sport Express.

I hope that in a few months Nikiforov will confirm the words of the captain in the most difficult tests that await our team at the 2002 World Cup. After all, the defender, who once came face to face in the Spanish championship with Ronaldo and Rivaldo, Alfonso and Kiko, is still difficult to dislodge from the saddle.

Yuri Nikiforov has not been a frequent guest on the pages of the Russian sports press lately. After the inglorious 2002 Far Eastern World Cup for the Russians, one of the leading players of our team decided to retire from the national team, for which he played almost sixty matches over ten years. Of course, these games were not without failures - both for the team and for the football player himself, but still, I think, in the memory of most fans he remained a reliable and tenacious defender, able not only to defend himself, but also to usefully join in the attacking actions of the team .

Fans of Spartak Moscow, for which he played before leaving abroad, still remember Nikiforov’s powerful blow with nostalgia.

Take, for example, the memorable match of the 1/8 finals of the Champions League with Nantes in Moscow in March 1996. Then, let me remind you, in the first half, thanks to two accurate long-range “shots” by Nikiforov, the red and white managed to win back the two goals they conceded in France. True, the young team of Georgy Yartsev was unable to maintain their advantage, but they did not deserve any reproaches.

In the summer of the same year, Nikiforov was the last of the Spartak leaders of the 1995 star team to go abroad. After spending two seasons in the Spanish Sporting, Yuri, not satisfied with the constant struggle for survival, changed Gijon to the Dutch Eindhoven, winning two championship titles with PSV.

In the summer of 2002, when my contract with PSV ended, I ended up at the Waalwijk club. By that time I had already finally realized that I was tired of Holland. I shared my thoughts with my teammate, the Serbian Petrovich, who, as it turned out, played for the Japanese Urava for several years.

Literally the next day, Petrovich came up to me and offered to discuss with the Japanese the possibility of my transfer to this club. I took some time to think.

Meanwhile, the season ended in Holland, I went home to Ukraine, and soon representatives of Urava themselves came to Odessa, where we discussed all the terms of the agreement.

But now, as far as I know, you are not under contract with any club?

Yes, that is right. Due to injury, I did not have time to play the full season in Japan: in March of this year I had surgery, and after three months my contract ended. True, at the beginning of the year, the management of Urawa proposed extending the agreement, but then the Japanese, apparently, decided not to take risks and no longer talked about further cooperation.

How did you find Japanese football? Is there really a real football boom in the country after the 2002 World Cup in Japan?

Undoubtedly. I really liked it there: modern football infrastructure, fantastic fans. Fifty to sixty thousand spectators come to each match! What can we talk about, if fifteen to twenty thousand of our fans constantly came to our away games, but when we played in neighboring Tokyo, at least half the stadium supported our team.

How strong is Urawa Red Diamonds?

Japan has a completely different system for the national tournament. First comes the regular season - we took fifth place there, and then it’s time for the playoffs. "Urava" played them unsuccessfully, but we managed to win the National Cup - for the first time in the club's history. In recent years, many players who once played for foreign clubs have returned to Russia - Viktor Onopko, Vladimir Beschastnykh, Dmitry Khokhlov... Have you received similar offers?

No with

Russian clubs

You're probably worried about your native Spartak?

Don't open your wounds - it's terrible! I didn’t expect that Spartak could find itself in such a position. It's a shame and a shame! I hope that with the return of Dimka Alenichev, Spartak will return to its previous position. But the fact that many other good teams have appeared in Russia recently is encouraging. Last year I enjoyed watching Lokomotiv's matches in the Champions League. I was really happy for the guys!

How do you like the performance of the Russian team?

It didn’t seem to me that our guys played poorly at the European Championship.

In the first game - the most important in tournaments of this level, I think Georgy Yartsev made a mistake by choosing a formation with one striker. And the substitutions he made did not strengthen our team’s play. Before Euro 2004, I watched several matches of the Russian national team, in which our youth performed well. I especially liked the right-flank midfielder Vladimir Bystrov from Zenit.

And I wouldn’t blame the guys for the result - they played the best they could.

Well, how would you evaluate the result of the Euro 2006 qualifying match between Portugal and Russia?

I watched this game on TV and, of course, I was very upset, to put it mildly. But again, I would not blame the players for all the sins, although their share of the blame here, of course, is present. I myself am an active football player, I played in this team, and it’s not for me to criticize the guys. Although we felt very sorry for our guys. I myself have found myself in similar situations. After such defeats it is very difficult to return home and, as they say, look into the eyes of the fans.

Georgy Yartsev, by the way, while explaining the reasons for the Lisbon defeat, clearly hinted at the guilt of the football players themselves.

- This is the choice of Georgy Yartsev. From our work together, I know that he is an extremely emotional person. This is exactly what I associate with his departure from the coaching bench in the match with the Portuguese. Of course, at that moment he acted very rashly: after all, it was he who prepared the team, and it was he who was responsible for it. And the fact that after the match he suddenly began blaming the players really surprised me. He chose them himself, which means it was primarily his mistake. In the same way, I think Georgy Alexandrovich did the wrong thing when he didn’t take Vitya Onopko to the European Championship. And mistakes, as you know, have the property of a boomerang - sooner or later you have to pay for them.

Yuri, tell me, after Georgy Alexandrovich headed the national team, did he make any attempts to return you to the team?

No, that didn't happen. Even before the 2002 World Cup, I declared that after it I would finally leave the national team. After all, I was already 33 years old, and then I thought that I could no longer bring the same benefit to the national team as before. And we met with Yartsev last winter in Japan, where our team came for two friendly matches. By the way, I have an excellent relationship with him. Yes, we had minor disagreements at Spartak, but they were purely of a working nature. Georgy Alexandrovich insisted that I play in midfield, but I believed that I could be more useful in defense.

I see you are aware of Russian football affairs. Maybe you can comment on the latest statement by Vyacheslav Fetisov regarding reforms in the RFU?

Yes, I read about it on the Internet. My opinion on this matter has been formed for a long time - the fish rots from the head. So I fully support Fetisov and believe that it is high time for Koloskov to vacate the presidency of the RFU. Something definitely needs to change in our football. Take, for example, the situation around the national team - after all, in recent years, rarely have any major tournaments gone without internal conflicts. So at Euro 2004 we became famous throughout the world by kicking Alexander Mostovoy out of the team. It was impossible to wash dirty linen in public, this is my opinion.

Who would you like to see at the head of our football?

I think we have many worthy candidates for this post, although, to be honest, I would not like to name them now. I would like this to be a figure of Fetisov’s level, but from the world of football. And preferably from football players who have recently completed their careers. The RFU should be headed by a person who knows the entire kitchen of modern Russian football. However, I very much doubt that Koloskov will be removed from his post. Just remember the confrontation between Tarpishchev, Yeltsin’s man, and Koloskov in the mid-90s. Then, if you remember, even intervention from above did not change the situation.

Don’t get me wrong: I have no personal complaints against Vyacheslav Ivanovich, but if from year to year there is no change for the better in our football, if we just can’t reach a new level, then probably the head of the RFU needs to leave his post and make way for a new generation of leaders.

When was the last time you were in Russia?

This summer. The whole family vacationed in Odessa, and then my wife and I went to Moscow for a few days on business. We stopped just at Dima Khokhlov's. See Ilya Tsymbalar, Vitya Onopko.

Who do you feel more like - Ukrainian, Russian, or maybe Dutch?

You and your family now live permanently in Holland.

Just not Dutch! As for the choice between Russia and Ukraine, to be honest, it’s hard for me to answer this question. I have always said that I am neither Russian nor Ukrainian; I come from the USSR.

What country do you intend to live in after finishing your career?

- I don't know yet. First, I need to decide whether I will continue to play or whether it’s time to hang up my boots.

What does your choice depend on?

From suggestions. In principle, I am confident that I will be able to play at a good level for another two years. But I have already decided for myself: if I fail to find a job before the end of the winter transfer window, then I will leave football. Sooner or later this day will come. Then, at a family council, we will decide in which country we will live.

What are you going to do after finishing your playing career? Will your future be connected with football or do you have other plans? I've been asked about this a lot lately. In the summer I discussed this issue with Ilya Tsymbalar, who works as a coach. I admit, I have no particular desire to connect my future life with football. Behind I became convinced how hard coaching work is. Both mentally and physically. Therefore, I have no idea what exactly awaits me in the future. But I won’t promise: if I can’t do something else, I’ll have to work as a coach.

Samvel Avakyan. Weekly "Football" No. 46

« I'M SURE RUSSIA WILL WIN»
"Sports.ru", 10.10.2009
Of the four matches that the Russian national football team played with Germany, the most memorable happened at Euro 1996 - Oleg Romantsev’s team lost 0:3. Yuri Nikiforov is a participant in that game and one of the most non-public Russian legionnaires living in Spain. On the day of the new match with Germany, the former defender of Spartak, PSV and Sporting Gijon gave an interview to Sports.ru - about how it was then and how it will be today.

« IN THE SALARY LIST THE ELDER WAS NUMBER ONE»
"Football-1960.ru" 03/27/2010
Yuri Nikiforov won club trophies in four countries. He won the Russian championship three times and the Dutch championship twice. He won the Cups of Ukraine, Russia and Japan. He played 59 games for the Russian national team, went to two World Championships and the European Championship. Footballers with such a track record in Russia can be counted on the fingers of one hand. Yuri told Football Weekly about why he now lives in Gijon, Spain, and also recalled the brightest moments of his rich biography.

SPANISH CALLER
Weekly “Sport day by day” No. 17, 05-11.05.2010
Yuri Nikiforov is a whole era of Russian football. An era in which Spartak had no equal in the national championship. However, then, even on European fields, the red and white were a serious fighting unit. Nikiforov played back for Spartak for only three seasons, but that was enough to be remembered by Russian fans for a long time.

« LOBANOVSKY IS A BLOCK!»
"Dynamo Kyiv from Shurik" , 22.04.2011
He won club trophies in four countries. He won the Russian championship three times and the Dutch championship twice. He won the Cups of Ukraine, Russia and Japan. He played 59 games for the Russian national team, going to two World Championships and the European Championship. Last years Yuri Nikiforov lives in Gijon, Spain, where he once played for the local Sporting. The author of these lines reached him in Spain.

FIRST		OLYMPUS		NON OFFICER		DATE	MATCH	FIELD
And	G	And	G	And	G
		1				11.09.1990	USSR - NORWAY - 2:2	d
		2				18.04.1991	HUNGARY - USSR - 0:0	G
		3				12.06.1991	ITALY - USSR - 1:0	G
		4				27.08.1991	NORWAY - USSR - 0:1	G
		5				24.09.1991	USSR - HUNGARY - 2:0	d
		6				16.10.1991	USSR - ITALY - 1:1	d
1						25.01.1992	USA - CIS - 0:1	G
2						28.01.1992	SALVADOR - CIS - 0:3	G
3						02.02.1992	USA - CIS - 2:1	G
4						12.02.1992	ISRAEL - CIS - 1:2	G
5						08.09.1993	HUNGARY – RUSSIA – 1:3	G
6						17.11.1993	GREECE – RUSSIA – 1:0	G
7						20.04.1994	Türkiye – RUSSIA – 0:1	G
8						29.05.1994	RUSSIA – SLOVAKIA – 2:1	d
9						20.06.1994	BRAZIL – RUSSIA – 2:0	n
10						24.06.1994	SWEDEN – RUSSIA – 3:1	n
11						28.06.1994	CAMEROON – RUSSIA – 1:6	n
				1		07.08.1994	RUSSIA - WORLD TEAM - 2:1	d
12	1					17.08.1994	AUSTRIA – RUSSIA – 0:3	G
13						07.09.1994	RUSSIA – GERMANY – 0:1	d
14	2					12.10.1994	RUSSIA – SAN MARINO – 4:0	d
15						16.11.1994	SCOTLAND – RUSSIA – 1:1	G
16						08.03.1995	SLOVAKIA – RUSSIA – 2:1	G
17						29.03.1995	RUSSIA – SCOTLAND – 0:0	d
18	3					26.04.1995	GREECE – RUSSIA – 0:3	G
19						06.05.1995	RUSSIA – FAROES – 3:0	d
20						16.08.1995	FINLAND – RUSSIA – 0:6	G
21						06.09.1995	FAROES – RUSSIA – 2:5	G
22						11.10.1995	RUSSIA – GREECE – 2:1	d
23						15.11.1995	RUSSIA – FINLAND – 3:1	d
24						07.02.1996	MALTA – RUSSIA – 0:2	G
25						09.02.1996	ICELAND – RUSSIA – 0:3	n
26						11.02.1996	SLOVENIA – RUSSIA – 1:3	n
27						27.03.1996	IRELAND – RUSSIA – 0:2	G
28						24.04.1996	BELGIUM – RUSSIA – 0:0	G
29						24.05.1996	QATAR – RUSSIA – 2:5	G
30						02.06.1996	RUSSIA – POLAND – 2:0	d
31						16.06.1996	GERMANY – RUSSIA – 3:0	n
32						19.06.1996	CZECH REPUBLIC – RUSSIA – 3:3	n
33	4					28.08.1996	RUSSIA – BRAZIL – 2:2	d
34	6					01.09.1996	RUSSIA – CYPRUS – 4:0	d
35						09.10.1996	ISRAEL – RUSSIA – 1:1	G
36						10.11.1996	LUXEMBOURG – RUSSIA – 0:4	G
37						08.06.1997	RUSSIA – ISRAEL – 2:0	d
				2		18.08.1997	RUSSIA – FIFA – 0:2	d
38						20.08.1997	RUSSIA – YUGOSLAVIA – 0:1	d
39						10.09.1997	BULGARIA – RUSSIA – 1:0	G
40						15.11.1997	ITALY – RUSSIA – 1:0	G
41						18.02.1998	GREECE – RUSSIA – 1:1	G
42						25.05.1998	RUSSIA – FRANCE – 1:0	d
43						22.04.1998	RUSSIA – Türkiye – 1:0	d
44						19.08.1998	SWEDEN – RUSSIA – 1:0	G
45						28.02.2001	GREECE - RUSSIA - 3:3	G
46						24.03.2001	RUSSIA - SLOVENIA - 1:1	d
47						28.03.2001	RUSSIA - FAROES - 1:0	d
48						06.06.2001	LUXEMBOURG - RUSSIA - 1:2	G
49						15.08.2001	RUSSIA - GREECE - 0:0	d
50						05.09.2001	FAROES - RUSSIA - 0:3	G
51						14.11.2001	LATVIA - RUSSIA - 1:3	G
52						13.02.2002	IRELAND - RUSSIA - 2:0	G
53						27.03.2002	ESTONIA - RUSSIA - 2:1	G
54						17.04.2002	FRANCE - RUSSIA - 0:0	G
55						17.05.2002	RUSSIA - BELARUS - 1:1	d
56						19.05.2002	RUSSIA - YUGOSLAVIA - 1:1	d
57						05.06.2002	TUNISIA – RUSSIA – 0:2	n
58						09.06.2002	JAPAN – RUSSIA – 1:0	G
59						14.06.2002	BELGIUM - RUSSIA – 3:2	n
FIRST		OLYMPUS		NON OFFICER
And	G	And	G	And	G
59	6	6	–	2	–

Former Spartak football player Yuri Nikiforov told how he remembered Ilya Tsymbalar, a friend and partner who passed away at the end of last year, about his years at Spartak and his career.

"MY WIFE SAID TO TURN TO A GRAS STATION AND GAVE VALIDOL"

Tsymbalar And Nikiforov... They were great friends. We played together in Chernomorets, together we were supposed to end up in Dynamo Moscow, but moved to Spartak. And in its composition they won the Russian Championship more than once and were idols of fans...

The news of his friend's death found Yuri in Spain.

— My family and I were driving to Madrid airport. We were flying to New Year to the Czech Republic. And then my brother calls. My wife answered the phone. I look: her face has changed. He says: turn to the gas station. I immediately realized that something serious had happened. I turned and stopped, after which she gave me Validol and told me this terrible news. I was simply in shock. She was the one driving the rest of the way. I just didn’t understand what was happening.

— Did you know that Ilya has heart problems?

— The last time we saw him was at Christmas last year. We were sitting in the bathhouse with a large group - me and my family, Ilyushka and his family, Genka Nizhegorodov... They told me even then that Ilyushka had some problems with his heart. Either his wife told him, or he himself. But still, the December news came as a real shock...

...It is clear that Nikiforov is having a hard time speaking. Tears well up in my eyes...

“Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to fly to the funeral,” says Yuri. - I know that this topic has caused a lot of discussion on the Internet, that Ilya’s family is offended because of this situation. Maybe they're right. I don't want to say yes or no. But they must understand that many were unable to escape purely physically. The end of the year, people are on vacation in other countries. I called the guys - Igor Ledyakhov, Vitya Onopko, Dima Alenichev... Everyone wanted to come. “I’m sitting on the Internet, looking for tickets. But I’m not sure I can find them,” Ledyakhov told me. Thank God, at least he managed to come. I wouldn’t blame those who couldn’t get there. The main thing is that Ilyushka is in our hearts so that we do not forget him. And I will definitely come to his grave as soon as I’m in Odessa.

— You were close friends. Tell us, what was Tsymbalar like for you?

- The golden guy! Very decent. He will never let anyone down. One could never expect meanness from him. Honest. If he saw that a person was a g..., he directly spoke about it. Never whispered behind my back. At the same time, he is a real Odessa citizen, with a great sense of humor. Well, there is no need to say too much about football skill - everyone saw it on the football field.

They say about such technology: from God. You can train as much as you like, but you won’t get it. Ilyushka is still in early age amazed us with his feints. It wasn’t difficult for him to beat four or five guys each.

— Were you offended when he beat you in training?

- Not that word! Moreover, we were constantly against each other. I kept wanting to take the ball away from him. But this very often did not work out. Either he will cheat me, then he will give me between my legs... He was angry, of course. There were situations when I just wanted to tear off his legs! And when he saw that I was at my limit, do you know what he did?

- What?

“He just turned around and... smiled.” And this smile was instantly disarming. There was nothing I could do anymore. The two of us just fell on the lawn and laughed. This smile is still before my eyes...

“THE DESIRE TO TRAIN WAS GRADUALLY AWAKENED”

...We are moving away from the sad topic. Now Yuri is studying at the Higher School of Technology courses in Belek together with a group of other famous football players of the recent past - Semak, Kirichenko, Meleshin, Parfenov, Gusev. Although just recently he said that he was not going to become a coach.

— When I finished gaming career, I didn’t watch football at all for about two years - I was so full of it,” he says. — I didn’t train, didn’t play with veterans. I tried to do business, real estate.

But then I began to be drawn to football again. The guys who graduated with me - Vitya Onopko, Igor Ledyakhov, Dimka Alenichev - went to study at VShT. Vitka was already calling me to come with him - he said, let’s go while we are all together and pass the exams. But I didn't want to. Probably I just wasn't ready. And now I’ve thought about it and understand: besides football, I, by and large, can’t do anything in life. I know this kitchen, I’ve played with it since I was little.

Dimka Khokhlov also constantly told me: “Come on, try.” And I answered that I had already lost my time. I had to first take exams for category C, then B, then A. I thought that I wouldn’t be able to complete this whole chain. At the same time, he looked at the guys from the side. Valerka Karpin took over Spartak, Khokhlov is coaching at Dynamo, Dimka Alenichev is in Tula. And I also began to have a desire to train...

Here Dimka Khokhlov says that VShT offers honored players who have played at the very high level, immediately study for category A. He gave Mikhail Gershkovich’s phone number, he put him in touch with the head of the Higher Shcht, Lexakov. That's how I ended up here.

— Do you like studying?

- No, I'm actually interested in this. Every day I learn something new. For example, such a term as "counterattack" in professional football No. There is a concept called "quick attack". Here they generally give you a chance to look at football with different eyes...

— What is your current education?

— According to the documents, I graduated from the Pedagogical Institute in Odessa. But I studied well only until the sixth grade. Then the first youth teams, a sports boarding school. Football was in first place there, and studies were in tenth. They even gave me tests and exams in the 10th grade automatically, without my presence. At that time I was at the Youth World Championships in Canada. It's the same with the institute. I was, as it were, registered, but at the same time I hardly attended classes. Transferred to the correspondence department. And now we need to actually gain new knowledge that can help in future work.

— You live permanently in Spain. Are you mentally ready to return to Russia?

- Why not? Yes, I have been abroad for 18 years. Spain, Holland, Japan, now Spain again. But if now I pass the exams for category A and I have some kind of offer, then why not accept it? I don’t want to become a head coach yet. There is a desire to try myself in the role of the second one. Find out the hard way what kind of profession this is. Gain experience. And if I understand that I can work as a coach, I will already go to study for the Pro category.

— The family won’t be against it?

- Why should she be against it? I already have grown children. The eldest daughter is 21, she already lives separately from us in Madrid, the youngest will soon be 19, she is studying at the university. If some team appears that offers me a job, I can easily live in two countries, like Vitya Onopko. Although I understand perfectly well that it is not so easy to find a job in Russia now. You need to be lucky.

— During this time, you were never invited to work in Russia?

— There was one proposal. Then “Terek” was supposed to receive the Spanish specialist Victor Muñoz, and I was recommended to his headquarters as a coach-translator. Dima Cheryshev called me and asked how I would feel about this. But for some reason I didn’t rush to give a positive answer. But in the end it turned out that Munoz himself did not stay at Terek - he left the team a month later.

“MY PARTNER SAW THAT I WAS SAD AND SUGGESTED I GO TO JAPAN”

Nikiforov had a rich, eventful career. I also attended the Union Championship, became the champion of Russia several times as part of Spartak, and played for the national team for a long time. I tried my hand at three foreign championships - Spanish, Dutch and Japanese... In general, there is something to remember.

— Do you regret something that didn’t come true, or do you still think that you got the best out of yourself?- I ask him.

— In terms of my personal career, I have nothing to grieve about. I'm happy. My only regret is that our generation has not achieved anything at the national team level. Although what a wonderful team we had in the mid-1990s! But every time something stopped us.

— In 1994 — “letter of fourteen…”

“In hindsight, it’s easy to understand that it shouldn’t have been signed.” We were all young then. Signed for the company. Then there was a conflict at the European Championships in England. Some players were on bad terms with Oleg Romantsev. But at the World Championships in Japan and Korea, the team was entirely to blame for the unsuccessful result. We were obliged to leave that group.

— By the way, you graduated in Japan. What wind brought it there?

- Oh, this is an interesting story. I played for PSV for several years, and then signed a contract with a lower ranked club - Waalwijk. I spent a year there, but my heart was not in this team. An outsider... It was not easy to get used to after PSV. And after some match I sit in the locker room sad. Such melancholy came over me. And then my teammate, Zeljko Petrovich, comes up. He asks: what happened? I say: I’m tired, I want to leave here. And then he says: “Do you want to go to Japan?” I immediately answer: “If they offer me a good contract, I’ll leave.” He: “Are you serious? I said: “Yes.” A week later, a representative of Urawa Red Diamonds arrived at our friendly game. And then the Japanese arrived in Odessa, where I was on vacation. Moreover, the call found me fishing. the next day we met at the hotel and signed a contract.

— What struck Japan?

- Obligation. Everything they say is done on time. And there are also wonderful fans there. 20 thousand fans of our team went to away matches.

— You spent only a season in Japan, after which you finished.

- Got injured. And the Japanese did not sign a new contract with me - they were afraid to take risks. After that I could find a job in Russia. There was an offer from a Moscow club. But in the end it didn’t work out. The team, as I was told, has taken a course towards rejuvenating the roster. As a result, I freaked out and decided not to look for clubs anymore. Although I was only 33...

— While living in Spain, you tried to engage in agency activities. Did not like?

- At all! I was not a licensed agent. I was simply offered cooperation with a Spanish-Argentine company that was selling players. It seemed interesting. The sphere was more or less familiar to me. But when I was faced with reality, I realized that this was not my thing at all. So many undercurrents. Let’s say they offer a player and say: we have papers that allow us to negotiate. I'm looking for a club for him, using my connections. And then it turns out that other people have exactly the same papers for this player. One agent, second, third... There is no end in sight to this chain. I encountered such a situation once, twice, three times, and then I said: that’s it, excuse me, I’ve had enough.

While I was working, I tried to offer players in Russia. But they hinted to me: there is no point in meddling here. All passages and exits are closed. Clubs work exclusively with their agents. In general, things did not work out in this area.

"GAZZAEV'S ASSISTANT SAID: WE WILL OFFER TWO TIMES MORE THAN SPARTAK"

— You played in many places, but you won the most awards in Spartak. Are your fondest memories probably associated with this stage of your career?

- Not only with him. I am pleased to remember the years spent at Chernomorets. In the last union championship, for example, we took fourth place. As for awards, I became a champion at PSV. But “Spartak”, of course, also left a very significant mark on my soul.

— The match for Spartak, which stands out for you? With Nantes in 1996, where you scored two goals?

“I just got lucky there.” Although it was after this game that I was invited to Spain. Romantsev was called to the club. He says: “There is an offer. If you want, leave. If you want, stay.” I thought: why not leave? Many of us have already played there: Vitya Onopko, Igor Ledyakhov, Valera Karpin. And they paid an order of magnitude more in Spain.

— Are you surprised that Romantsev hasn’t been training for so long?

- No, it’s not surprising. Maybe he's just tired of this work?

— Oleg Ivanovich gave me a lot. But I am also grateful to Vladimir Maksimovich Salkov, who retrained me from a forward to a back defender. In fact, this rearrangement predetermined my future career. I don’t know how he saw these inclinations in me. But I'm still grateful to him.

— Would the football that Spartak played then be relevant now? Then you defeated everyone.

- But this is not surprising. In the early 1990s, Spartak brought all the cream of the crop. Several ready-made craftsmen joined the team at once. However, when the USSR championship collapsed, there was little choice. There were two main teams in the Union - Dynamo Kiev and Spartak...

Although first, a man from Dynamo, Valery Gazzaev’s assistant Nikolai Latysh, came to pick up Ilyushka Tsymbalar and me. We gave him preliminary consent. But just a couple of days later, Spartak vice-president Grigory Esaulenko found himself in Odessa and offered to join them. I thought, and then called Ilyushka: “How are you? I would go to Spartak.” He answered: “Me too.” After that, we met with Latvian and told him that we were going to Spartak. He immediately : “How much do they offer you there? We will give twice as much!” And we answer him: “And Spartak, apart from housing, hasn’t promised us anything at all yet.” As a result, Ilyushka and I ended up in Spartak... And I personally don’t regret this choice.

— It would probably be nice to become a coach at Spartak?

— People often ask me about this. Well, what should I answer you? Let's bend our fingers. How many of us played in Spartak in the 1990s? Mostovoy, Shalimov, Onopko, Alenichev, Titov... you’ll get tired of listing them. Do you think they all didn’t want to work at Spartak? I'm sure they did. But Spartak is not rubber.

I am on excellent terms with Valerka Karpin. When I come to Moscow and Valera has time, we meet and have a wonderful time. But I won’t ask him: place me in Spartak, my friend. It is not right.

— How do you feel about Onopko coaching CSKA?

- Positive! And what's wrong with that? Let's start with the fact that he is not a native Spartakist. He came to Moscow from Ukraine. Just like Ilyushka and I. Should he wait forever for an invitation from Spartak? If he wants to engage in coaching, he must have experience and experience. I told him back then: don’t worry, everything is fine.

- Was he worried?

- At first, yes. For the first two weeks, insults were thrown at him from the stands of CSKA fans. Then this incident happened with the scarf that the fans gave him to kiss. He was simply set up. But now there seem to be no problems...

— Will you also wait for your chance?

“I hope he introduces himself.” But first you need to pass the exams...

Denis Tselykh

Former football player Yuri Nikiforov was a unique player. He played in three different football championships of the Soviet and post-Soviet period (USSR, Ukraine, Russia). Yuri Nikiforov also played for four different national teams (USSR, Ukraine, CIS, Russia).

Dossier

Football player Yuri Nikiforov was born on September 15, 1970 in Odessa (Ukraine). Playing position on the football field is defender. Height 189 cm, weight 84 kg. Years of playing in big football - 1986-2004. Married. His wife Natalya gave birth to two daughters.

During the game he performed a large amount of work, moving around the entire perimeter. He often joined in attacks. As a defender he was distinguished by his reliability, toughness, and unyieldingness in martial arts. He had a strong shot, which he used when awarding free throws.

Footballer's career

As a football player, Yuri Nikiforov played in five countries around the world for eight different clubs. He played 375 matches in which he scored 32 goals.

• 1986-1988 - Chernomorets (Odessa), SKA (Odessa);
• 1988-1989 - Dynamo (Kyiv);
• 1990-1992 - “Chernomorets” (Odessa);
• 1993-1996 - Spartak (Moscow);
• 1996-1998 - Sporting (Spain);
• 1998-2002 - PSV (Holland);
• 2003 - "Waalwijk" (Holland);
• 2003-2004 - Urawa Red Diamonds (Japan).

Yuri Nikiforov played for four different national teams from 1990 to 2002. He played 72 matches. Yuri Nikiforov's goals brought points to his teams 6 times.

National teams:

• 1990-1991 - USSR Olympic team;
• 1992 - CIS team;
• 1992 - Ukrainian national team;
• 1993-2002 - Russian national team.

In addition, in 1987, Yuri Nikiforov took part in junior football (under 16 years old), where the USSR national team took first place, and Nikiforov himself became the top scorer of the tournament (5 goals). In 1988, playing for the national team, he won the title of European champion (U-19).

In 2005, Yuri Nikiforov took part in several international tournaments By beach soccer as part of the Russian national team.

Trophies and achievements

Yuri Nikiforov was the owner of club trophies in four countries. He became the Russian champion three times as part of the Moscow Spartak, won the Dutch championship twice with the PSV team, and won national Cups in Ukraine, Russia, and Japan. Nikiforov took part in two World Championships and two European Championships. Played 59 matches for the Russian national team.

Stages of the long journey

Student's gaming career Odessa football began in 1986 as part of Chernomorets. But the young, fragile guy could not adequately fight with powerful attackers best teams backup staff major league USSR Championship and was sent to the local SKA team, where he was forced to gain the necessary physical condition. A year later, Nikiforov returned to the Chernomorets team and played so well that he became the object of close attention of the coach of Dynamo Kyiv. At that time, there were no obstacles to the transfer of the best football players to the flagship of Ukrainian and Soviet football. Yuri Nikiforov becomes a Dynamo player.

Perhaps the acquisition of Nikiforov was associated with an attempt to weaken the competitor, which at that time was Chernomorets; perhaps Yuri himself did not show his best football qualities, but, one way or another, he spent two years in the Dynamo reserve team without playing a single match as part of the main team. At the same time, two years of the Dynamo double were credited to the football player as compulsory army service.

In 1990, Yuri Nikiforov returned to his native team, where he spent two great seasons. He is even invited to join the USSR Olympic team. But well-known political events began, the result of which was the collapse of the Soviet Union. In search of a better life, many famous players Ukrainian championship left the country, choosing the distant one and Yuri moved to the Moscow club "Spartak" (photo of the coach below).

Here Yuri Nikiforov is a sought-after football player. His football career is at its zenith. He becomes one of the best players in the Russian championship. In 1992, Nikiforov went to the European Championship in Sweden as part of the CIS team.

After the formation of the Russian Football Federation, the athlete became an indispensable player of the Russian national team for almost 10 years. He takes part in the championship of the year, the 1994 and 2002 world championships.

Yuri Nikiforov remembers Spartak as a team that gave him the opportunity to play in the strongest European championships. And although the first foreign trip to Sporting Gijon did not satisfy the footballer’s ambitions, Yuri Nikiforov has every reason to be proud of the next stage of his career.

Legionary

As part of the Dutch PSV, he won the national championship twice, playing 99 matches in four years.

Maintaining maximum physical condition while demonstrating impeccable defensive play at 32 years old is already quite difficult. In addition, numerous old injuries are making themselves felt more and more often. And in 2003, in transit through the Waalwijk club, Yuri ends his football career in Japanese team Urawa Red Diamonds. Here, in 2004, the career of the great football player came to an end.

Now Yuri Nikiforov lives in Spain (the city of Gijon), playing for the local veteran team. After graduating from coaching courses in 2014, he worked as the second coach in the Kazakh team “Irtysh” and as an assistant coach in the club “Kuban” (Russia).

Yuri Valerievich Nikiforov (nickname “Terminator”) is a professional football player, including beach football, who played in his career for four national teams - the USSR, the CIS, Ukraine and Russia. During his eighteen-year career as a football player, he played in nine clubs. These are Odessa Chernomorets and SKA, Kiev Dynamo, Moscow Spartak, Gijon Sporting (Spain), PSV Eindhoven (Netherlands), Wawejk (from the city of the same name in the Netherlands), Urawa Red Diamonds" (Saitama city, Japan).

After leaving big sport switched to coaching. Now Yuri Nikiforov holds the post of chief mentor of the Russian football team from Moscow "Dynamo-2". Previously, he coached the Krasnodar “Kuban” and the Kazakh club “Irtysh” from the city of Pavlograd.

Yuri Nikiforov: biography and interesting facts

Born on September 6, 1970 in the city of Odessa, Ukrainian SSR. He started getting involved in football at the age of five. I mostly played in the yard with local kids. At school, the physical education teacher was surprised by his performance, who directed the guy to enroll in football section. His parents took the young man to training, where he began working with specialists every day. Over the years, Yuri Nikiforov developed his skills and eventually ended up in a specialized children's and youth school sports school Olympic reserve"Chernomorets" in Odessa.

In 1987, 17-year-old Yuri Nikiforov received a standing ovation from the legendary Pele when the USSR youth team won the championship in the world junior football championship. At the same tournament, Yuri became the best goalscorer, scoring 5 goals in 6 matches played. However, despite this, the prize top scorer awarded to a football player from Côte d'Ivoire, Moussa Traore, who also hit the opponent's goal five times. It was not clear why the victory was given to an African athlete, because football player Yuri Nikiforov scored 5 times, spending 499 minutes on the field, and Moussa Traore repeated this figure in 570 minutes of playing time. Based on this, Nikiforov can rightfully be considered the best in this tournament. A year later, Yuri, together with the USSR national team, won the European Youth Championship (1988).

Debut in Odessa “Chernomorets”

On June 30, 1988, football player Yuri Nikiforov took to the field for the first time as part of Chernomorets. The match was against Lokomotiv Moscow, where Yuri came on as a substitute in the middle of the second half. It is noteworthy that then Yuri replaced his older brother Alexander Nikiforov, born in 1967.

He played in Chernomorets until 1992. In 1988 and 1989 he was rented by such clubs as SKA Odessa and Dynamo Kyiv, respectively. In total, he played 47 matches for Chernomorets, in which he managed to score twice.

Transfer to Moscow Spartak

The most significant and enchanting career was in the capital's Spartak. In 1993, Nikiforov joined the Red-White team, where he played until 1996. In this club, Yuri Nikiforov fully revealed himself as a professional football player. Playing mainly support zone, Yuri for 88 matches played in Spartak (4 seasons Russian Premier League) managed to distinguish himself 16 goals scored. Composed of " people's team"(popular nickname of the Moscow club) Yuri Nikiforov became the champion of the Russian Premier League 3 times. After spending enchanting and successful years at Spartak, Yuri began to consider various contract offers, as European clubs began to follow the footballer.

Transfer travel

In 1996, Yuri Nikiforov signed an agreement with the Spanish club Sporting Gijon. Here he played only two seasons and played 65 matches, in which he scored 3 times. He achieved absolutely nothing with this club, but gained invaluable playing experience in European football.

In 1998, Yuri moved to Holland at the invitation of the famous club PSV Eindhoven. Here the football player plays mainly in the defensive line. Over the course of 4 years as a member of the “red-white army,” Nikiforov achieved certain successes: he played a record number of matches for one club (99), became a two-time Dutch champion and a three-time winner of the Dutch Super Cup. In total, he scored five goals for PSV.

From 2002 to 2003 he played in the neighboring club Waalwijk from the city of the same name. He played 29 matches for the “yellow-blues”, in which he scored once.

In 2003, he received a tempting offer from the Japanese club Urawa Red Diamonds from the city of Saitama. Here he spent only one season, playing 12 matches. In 2005, the football player ended his career.

Football player card

Yuri Valerievich Nikiforov has always been considered a universal player. His football ability was so good that he could play in any position. No matter what team Nikiforov played for, the head coach could always make experimental rotations, where Yuri could play both forward and defender. Yuri Nikiforov's height was 185 centimeters; in football such a player is considered quite tall. Yuri was an athletic athlete. He could compete equally well for the top ball in both the attacking and defensive zones. Nikiforov was also famous for his powerful signature kick with his right foot - he often realized set-pieces. The main feature of Nikiforov is that he is a team player. The footballer always found free zones for his partners, who completed the attacks with goals scored. It was a kind of N'Golo Kante, if we draw a parallel with modern players.

Yuri Nikiforov is famous for the fact that during his football career he managed to play for 4 national teams. He played 6 matches for the USSR Olympic team (1990-1991) and spent the 1992 European Championship as a member of the CIS team. In the same 1992, Nikiforov received an invitation to the Ukrainian national team (played 3 matches), and in 1993, Yuri received Russian citizenship and began playing for the Russian national team (1993-2002), in which he played 56 games and scored 6 heads.

In 2005, he played for the Russian beach soccer team at the World Championships in Portugal.

Further life and coaching activities

After completion football career Yuri left for Spain, the city of Gijon. There he was engaged in small business and advocated football club veterans of Gijon Sporting. In 2014, he completed his studies at the Higher School of Coaches. In 2015, he worked as a coach at Irtysh (Pavlograd, Kazakhstan) and Kuban (Krasnodar, Russia). Since 2017 he has been coaching Dynamo-2 Moscow.