After starting out at Dinamo Zagreb,[1] Nikolić went on to play for Čelik Zenica during the 1988–89 Yugoslav First League.
After serving as an assistant at Železnik, Nikolić took over as the club's manager in May 2002, replacing Goran Stevanović.
[3] He quickly proved his talent and was voted the best manager in FR Yugoslavia for 2002 in a poll organized by Politika.
Later on, Nikolić managed numerous clubs, including Napredak Kruševac (October 2007–June 2008),[8][9] Banat Zrenjanin (July–December 2008),[10][11] Sloga Kraljevo (September–December 2009),[12][13] Inđija (October–December 2010),[14][15] Lokomotiv Plovdiv (April–June 2011), Bežanija (October 2011–April 2012), Radnik Surdulica (September 2013–April 2014), and Loznica (December 2015–June 2016).
From 2017 to 2019, Nikolić served as an assistant to compatriot Srđan Vasiljević with the Angola national team.