From Who Wants to Be a Millionaire to the Champions League - the story of Sabah boss Valdas Dambrauskas

For him, walking out against United tonight will see his career come full circle, having begun his coaching career in Manchester, a career that has hit the spotlight thanks to its unusual origin and the eclectic ride it's taken him on to reach club football's biggest stage. 

His final answer

From an early age, Valdas Dambrauskas knew he wouldn't make it as a professional footballer, but saw that his calling was coaching and set his sights on making his way in the game via that avenue. 

However, he needed a break, a way of gaining the opportunity that was difficult to obtain at home in his native Lithuania. That break came, most unusually, by way of a famous game show. 

In 2002, Dambrauskas appeared on the Lithuanian version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, a clip that, since Champions League qualification, has resurfaced and gone viral. 

Not due to the quirkiness of the appearance, but because of how the young coach spent the money he won on the show. The 4,000 litas (£725) he walked away with doesn't sound like a lot, but it was six months' wages in Lithuania, and it funded a trip to the UK, where his path to Europe's elite would begin. 

"Everybody now takes only this part, you know, about the money," Dambrauskas told the BBC. 

"But yes, it is a true story. My idea was somehow I will try to go on these [coaching] courses to gain the coaching badge, maybe go back one day to Lithuania and start to work as a football coach."
 

That trip in the summer of 2002 saw the wide-eyed coach take his first steps in coaching. For eight years, he worked on community projects and at semi-professional clubs like London Tigers, whom he coached in the Spartan South Midlands League, FA Cup and FA Vase, all whilst holding down day jobs including a gardener, a handyman, doing newspaper rounds and cleaning pub floors. 

He became the first Lithuanian to achieve a UEFA coaching licence through the London Football Association, before Manchester United Soccer Schools took a chance on him and changed his life. 

It saw Dambrauskas coach courses up and down the country and eventually led to roles at first Fulham and then Brentford, as part of the coaching staff in their youth ranks. 

By 2010, the hard work paid off and his home country came calling with a first full-time coaching role at champions Ekranas. He had finally achieved exactly what he set out to do.

Champions and Champions League

Dambrauskas spent four years with Ekranas as assistant coach and reserve team boss before he was given the chance to be the number one at Lithuania's biggest club, Zalgiris Vilnius. 

This began a period of his career where he'd really make a name for himself across several different countries. After winning multiple leagues and cups with Zalgiris Vilnius, the manager would move to eight teams over nine years in seven countries, winning 13 trophies. 

He won the Latvian Cup with RFS, the Bulgarian title and European qualification as boss of Ludogorets Razgrad and helped Hajduk Split to their first trophy in a decade. 

Then in 2025, he arrived at Sabah to take his coaching story to yet another level. 
 

Getty

After winning the double in Azerbaijan, he and the club had to navigate four knockout rounds to reach the Champions League, and even then it took a stoppage-time equaliser to force their final qualifier to extra time before beating Hapoel Be'er Sheva. 

The victory made history for a club that was only formed in 2017, but now faces European evenings against Manchester United, Barcelona, Napoli and Arsenal in the league phase. 

For Dambrauskas, it's a reward for a story like no other, and he will now take charge of Sebah in the very same city where his incredible journey began. 

A full circle grounded in hard work and determination, and now celebrated with the sounds of football's most famous anthem. 

 

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