Ivan Nikin

Ivan Nikin's route to professional football ran through Moscow's youth academies before a longer detour through the lower tiers of Russian football. He started out in Rostov's youth system, moved to FSHM in Moscow, and then spent time with Sochi's youth side, where he made 37 appearances and scored three goals in the Youth Championship.

His senior career began at Sochi-2 before a free transfer took him to Torpedo-2 in the summer of 2023, where he made his debut in the second-tier Division B. The move that shaped his career came in 2024, when he joined Krasnoye Znamya in Noginsk. He became a key player for the Third League side, and the following year the club won the league's final tournament — a run that culminated in a 6-0 victory over Zarya-Lugansk on 16 November 2025, in which Nikin himself scored. He was named the best player of the 2025 final tournament.

That form earned him a free transfer to Veles in February 2026, on a contract running to 2028. He helped the Moscow/Domodedovo club win promotion to the Pari League. Nikin made his club debut for Veles on 1 March 2026 in a 2-1 defeat to Leningradets, and later featured in the Pari League itself, coming on for Muslim Bammatgerev in the 67th minute against the same opponents in August 2026.

All three of his moves in senior football — to Torpedo-2, Krasnoye Znamya and Veles — came as a free agent, without transfer fees changing hands.