Nikiforov Yuri Valerievich. Russian national football team. Football player Yuri Nikiforov: biography, sporting achievements Yuri Nikiforov biography

Former football player"Spartak" 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?

- IN last time we saw him at christmas last year. Sat in the bathhouse big company- I’m with my family, Ilyushka with my family, Genka Nizhegorodov... I was already told 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 along with a group of others famous football players recent past - Semak, Kirichenko, Meleshin, Parfenov, Gusev. Although just recently he said that he was not going to become a coach.

“When I finished my playing 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 VShT, 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, there is no such term as “counterattack” in professional football. 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. Even tests and exams in the 10th grade were given to me 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 didn’t work out in this area.

"GAZZAEV'S ASSISTANT SAID: WE WILL OFFER TWICE 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: “But Spartak, apart from housing, has not promised us anything at all yet.” As a result, Ilyushka and I ended up in Spartak... And I personally do not 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 study coaching work, 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

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. However, even today I do not flatter myself that I have earned the attention of reporters. Nice, but nothing more.

Well, it's said frankly. Then try to answer this question directly: are you satisfied with your game?

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’s interesting for everyone when the fight for medals doesn’t subside until 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?

Lucky is when you get something that you don't deserve. And I believe that I won my place in the sun through hard work and dedication to football. After all, I went through all the football classes. He played in the double team of Chernomorets, in Odessa SKA. I was called up to Dynamo Kiev - I even came on as a substitute in a match with Fiorentina. But my team is Chernomorets. Because Odessa is my hometown. I have a lot in common with Chernomorets. My father played in this club, before the past season performed brother Sasha, which is today at the Budapest club "Transist". And my uncle was the head of the team and for a short time the president of the club.

Was it through the protection of your relatives that you ended up in Chernomorets?

Maybe you also included me in the symbolic team of “SE” through connections?

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

On the day when I learned that Yuri Nikiforov refused to play for the Russian national team, I immediately dialed his phone number in Eindhoven and as a person who lived with him for three years under the same roof in Tarasovka (Trachtenberg worked as Spartak’s press attache . - Ed.), asked: “Why did you make such an unexpected decision?” The interlocutor’s arguments seemed quite weighty to me, and nevertheless, at the end of our dialogue, I allowed myself to express my point of view: “Every person is free to decide his own destiny. But I am convinced that in this case you made the decision under the influence of emotions.”

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 national team, which took place at the height of qualifying tournament World Cup 2002. 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 in decisive matches for the right to travel to Korea and Japan, show your trump cards: sharpness, determination and fearlessness in martial arts, the ability in an extreme situation to insure a partner by moving to his position, the ability to lead the forward to the goal with a pass at 60 meters or to join the attack in a timely manner and complete it a blow of such power that only a few people 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 performed by him in return match Champions League against Nantes in Cherkizovo. And still...

"I think Nikiforov best player defense of the Russian team recently,” Onopko said recently 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.

COMING FROM THE USSR

Yuri Nikiforov has not been a frequent guest on the pages of Russian newspapers lately. sports press. 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 titles with PSV championship titles. Then there was the modest Waalwijk and, finally, the Japanese Urawa Red Diamonds, the last one for now professional club in the career of Nikiforov as a player. This spring, the 34-year-old player received serious injury and dropped out of football for six months.

“In March of this year,” says Yuri Nikiforov, “after another match for Urawa Red Diamonds, my knee was very swollen. The examination showed that cartilage had formed under the “cup”, which needed to be urgently removed. After the operation, doctors recommended resting for six months and not putting any strain on the leg. Now physically I feel quite normal and can already train.

How did you get to Japan?

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 full season in Japan: I had surgery in March of this year, 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 I haven't had any contacts recently. But if I am interested, I would gladly play in Russia. I’m now 34 years old, and I think it’s too early to think about retiring from my career, especially since I’m now in good physical shape.

- Are you following the Russian Championship?

Certainly. I constantly call Vitya Onopko and Dimka Khokhlov and monitor the results on the Internet.

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 is that recently many other good teams, makes me happy. 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.

Yes, I read Yartsev’s statements in the press. I don’t know, it’s hard for me to judge this, but if I were a coach, I wouldn’t say this. Yes, our team at that time was missing several key players. But football in Russia is on the rise, and I believe that we now have a good selection of players worthy of a place in the national team. Perhaps Yartsev should pay attention to them. First of all, this concerns young people.

You not only know Georgy Yartsev, but also worked together. Were you not surprised that after he left the coaching bench during the match with Portugal, he still decided to continue working in the national team?

- 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 exclusively 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 last statement Vyacheslav Fetisov about 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 all the cuisine 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 don’t have any 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 long years 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 the weekly Football about why he now lives in Gijon, Spain, and also remembered bright moments 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, at that time, even on European fields, the red and white were a serious fighting unit. Nikiforov played 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.

“In March of this year,” says Yuri Nikiforov, “after another match for Urawa Red Diamonds, my knee was very swollen. Sport-Express”, 02/25/2002 * * * A native of the USSR, Yuri Nikiforov has not been a frequent guest on the pages of the Russian sports press lately.

In 1987, thanks in part to the performance of 17-year-old Yuri, who was applauded by Pele, the USSR youth team became the world junior football champion. Write in blogs, statuses and forums. 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.

And yet... “I consider Nikiforov 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.

Number of games and goals for the national team in official matches. Player of the USSR/CIS, Ukraine and Russia national teams. In 2005, he was a member of the Russian beach soccer team. Denis Romantsov met in Helsinki with an ex-player of Spartak and Dynamo Kyiv, who was running from Lobanovsky to Beskov and back. Assistant head coach at the Kuban Krasnodar club (2015). 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.

Nikiforov, Yuri Valerievich

They were replaced by newcomers, and Viktor Prokopenko had to create a new team, in which, please note, there were mainly players my age. And my uncle was the head of the team and for a short time the president of the club. — Was it not through the patronage of your relatives that you ended up in Chernomorets? Maybe you also included me in the symbolic team of “SE” through connections? — Many people remember you as a successful scorer.

In 1987 he became the world junior champion, playing as a striker. And not because of the abundance of draws this season? As are all my teammates. 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?

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

Yuri Nikiforov: “Casillas and Akinfeev are the best goalkeepers in the world”

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. 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.

Yuri Nikiforov and Mark van Bommel

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. No, I haven’t had any contacts with Russian clubs recently. But if I am interested, I would gladly play in Russia.

The number of games and goals for a professional club is only counted for the various national championship leagues. Yuri Valerievich Nikiforov (September 16, 1970, Odessa, Ukrainian SSR, USSR) - Soviet, Ukrainian and Russian football player, trainer.

Top 5 goals of Yuri Nikiforov in the Russian championships

Announced his retirement from his playing career in January 2005. One of the players of the Russian national team, whose signature was under the “Letter of Fourteen”. 23:28 General Director of Kuban: “We have long been ready to repay the debt to Khokhlov and his headquarters.

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Nikiforov also managed to become top scorer tournament (5 goals in 6 matches). 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. Then there was the modest Waalwijk and, finally, the Japanese Urawa Red Diamonds, the last professional club in Nikiforov’s playing career. A year later (1988), Yuri, as part of the USSR national team, became the European champion among juniors.

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 national history and cultural studies of 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. PhD thesis on the topic “Debatable problems of the prehistory of the Great Patriotic War in modern Russian 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. Compiled by: 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 educational and methodological complex “History”. 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.

Yuri Valerievich Nikiforov(September 16, 1970, Odessa, Ukrainian SSR, USSR) - Soviet, Ukrainian and Russian football player, coach. Player of the USSR/CIS, Ukraine and Russia national teams.

Biography

In 1987, thanks in part to the performance of 17-year-old Yuri, who was applauded by Pele, the USSR youth team became the world junior football champion. Nikiforov also managed to become the top scorer of the tournament at that tournament (5 goals in 6 matches). Despite the fact that FIFA awarded the top scorer prize at that tournament to the player of the Ivory Coast team - Moussa Traore, it was Nikiforov who can be considered the top scorer of the tournament, since he scored 5 goals after spending 499 minutes on the field, while the African player scored 5 goals spending 570 minutes on the field. A year later (1988), Yuri, as part of the USSR national team, became the European champion among juniors.

Nikiforov’s debut in the USSR championships took place on June 30, 1988 in Moscow in a match against the capital’s Lokomotiv; in the 59th minute he replaced his older brother Alexander Nikiforov, playing for Chernomorets Odessa. A versatile player, he played in different positions on the field during his career - from striker to defender.

Announced his retirement from his playing career in January 2005.

One of the players of the Russian national team, whose signature was under the “Letter of Fourteen”.

Playing style

Athletically built, skillfully acting positionally, he was the core player of the defense. He is strong with sudden connections to attacks, has a powerful kick with his right foot, and often takes free kicks.

Victor Khokhlyuk, “Sport.ua”

In 2005, he was a member of the Russian beach soccer team.

After finishing his career, he settled in the Spanish city of Gijon. For some time he worked in an agency firm, does business, plays for the veterans of the local Sporting. In January 2014, he studied at High school trainers.

Achievements

• World Junior Champion (under 16): 1987
• European Junior Champion (under 19): 1988
• In the lists the best football players Ukrainian SSR: 1991 - No. 2
• Winner of the Ukrainian Cup: 1992
• In the lists of the best football players in Ukraine: 1992 - No. 1
• Russian Champion: 1993, 1994, 1996
• Bronze medalist of the Russian Championship: 1995
• Winner of the Russian Cup: 1994
• Commonwealth Cup winner: 1993 (4 games)
• Dutch Champion: 1999/00, 2000/01
• Dutch Super Cup winner: 1998, 2000, 2001
• Japan League Cup Winner: 2003
• European Championship participant: 1996
• World Championships participant: 1994, 2002