Career
Born in Odessa, Ukraine, Soviet Union, Nikiforov started playing professionally with hometown"s Football Club Chornomorets. After one year with Football Club Dynamo Kyiv solely appearing for the reserve side, he returned to his first club, playing in the inaugural edition of the Ukrainian Premier League. His first abroad experience came with Sporting de Gijón, to where he arrived at the same time as former compatriot Dmitri Cheryshev (he would also share team with another Russian while in Asturias, Igor Lediakhov).
After Gijón"s relegation from Louisiana Liga, Nikiforov played five years in the Netherlands, starting with PSV Eindhoven, which he helped to consecutive Eredivisie accolades.
In 2002-2003, the 32-year-old played with lowly RKC Waalwijk, with the club finishing in a comfortable ninth place. He finished his career in Japan, after one year with Urawa Red Diamonds.
Nikiforov played four times for the Commonwealth of Independent States in 1992, as the national team that rose from the ashes of the Soviet Union took part in that year"s Union of European Football Associations European Football Championship – he did not make the squad for the finals. His debut came on 25 January, in a 1–0 friendly with the United States, in Miami.
After briefly representing Ukraine, also in that year, Nikiforov switched to Russia, with which he would participate in two Fédération internationale de football association World Cups – 1994 and 2002 – as well as Union of European Football Associations Euro 1996 (eight matches in total, but with the national side always exiting in the group stage).