Nikita Khromov

Nikita Khromov was a midfielder, who was just 1.65 m tall. He first played for the team of the Putilov factory, called Niva. He then played for the St. Petersburg clubs Natsionaly (1908–09), Nadezhda (1909–10), and Udelnaya (1910–11). In 1911, Nadezhda and Udelnaya merged under the name Unitas. Khromov played for Unitas until 1913. During World War I, he was a member of the Putilovsky team (1914–18). With his club teams, he won the championship of St. Petersburg in 1912 and the St. Petersburg cup three times (1911-13). In 1914, he founded the first football tournament in the Russian Empire exclusively for factory workers.

With the St. Petersburg team, he won the championship of the Russian Empire in 1912 and placed second in 1913. With this team, he also played in several matches against international club teams. In 1911, he made his début with the national team in an unofficial match against England in which Russia was defeated 11-0. At the 1912 Olympic Games, he played both matches of the Russian team. Until 1913, he won another four caps in friendlies.

Known for his fair play, he continued his career after the Bolshevik Revolution, mostly in the Caucasus region with OKA Tbilisi and played with Tbilisi in the first USSR football championship in 1923. His last stations were Krasny Putilovets (now Kosmos St. Petersburg, 1924-25), Zheldor Taganrog (also 1924-25) and Krasny Traktor in Rostov-on-Don (1926-27). He retired from active football in 1928 and coached the Chechnyan club Dynamo Grozny for one season.