Nikita Haikin

Nikita Haikin was born in 1995 in Netanya

Haikin was born in Netanya to a family that had emigrated from Russia. His father Ilya is a businessman. In 1997 the family returned with him to Moscow.

He started playing at age 7 at Torpedo Moscow's youth school and later joined the Dynamo Moscow academy. He then moved to England and played in the youth sides of Chelsea, Portsmouth and Reading.

In 2016 he signed with Bnei Yehuda Tel Aviv and made his professional debut in February 2017 against Maccabi Tel Aviv. He won the Israel State Cup with the club and then spent a season at Hapoel Kfar Saba.

He joined Bodø/Glimt in March 2019 and won the Norwegian league in 2020, 2021, 2023 and 2024. After a short spell at Bristol City in 2023, he returned to the club. In 2025 he saved 2 penalties against Lazio as Bodø/Glimt became the first Norwegian club to reach a European semi-final.

He was called up to Russia's senior squad in 2021 but stayed on the bench. After criticizing Vladimir Putin over the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, he sought to play for Norway. He received Norwegian citizenship in 2026, but FIFA did not approve his switch.