Tiknizyan Reveals His Salary in Serbia and Explains Why He Rejected Zenit’s Offer

Armenia national team defender Nair Tiknizyan spoke about his income, life priorities, and reasons for turning down more lucrative contracts in an interview with journalist Nobel Arustamyan.

According to the footballer, he currently plays for Red Star Belgrade, where he earns around €600,000 per year. At the same time, his salary at Moscow’s Lokomotiv was higher — 5.5 million rubles per, which at that time amounted to approximately €750,000.

Tiknizyan noted that he does not understand players who, despite already earning high salaries, continue chasing even more money.

“My life plan is simple: for my children to have apartments, and for my parents as well. My father already has housing, and I rent an apartment for my mother. God willing, I hope to buy her a house in the near future,” the footballer emphasized.

The interview also revealed that Tiknizyan had received an offer from Saint Petersburg’s Zenit. The club was ready to pay the defender 10.5 million rubles (around €1.1 million), and Lokomotiv had agreed to the transfer. However, the player himself refused the move, choosing to wait for an opportunity to continue his career in Europe.

In addition, Lokomotiv had previously received official offers for Tiknizyan from Spanish clubs Leganés and Sevilla, but those bids were rejected by the Moscow club.

Thus, the footballer made a conscious choice in favor of sporting ambitions and long-term goals, even at the cost of higher financial conditions.