Valdas Dambrauskas, the head coach of Azerbaijani champions Sabah, is set to lead his team in their Champions League debut at Old Trafford on Thursday night. This milestone follows a remarkable journey that began with a win on a Lithuanian game show.
In 2002, Dambrauskas appeared on 'Six Zeros – A Million', the Lithuanian version of 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?', where he won around £725. He stated that this money helped him and his girlfriend, now wife, move to north London to pursue his dream of becoming a coach.
Dambrauskas spent eight years in London, working various jobs including in a Muswell Hill pub and delivering newspapers, while studying sports science and coaching at London Metropolitan University. He secured his first coaching role with the Access to Sports Project in Finsbury Park and later worked with Manchester United Soccer Schools.
His career progressed through roles with London Tigers, Fulham, and Brentford, before he returned to Lithuania in late 2010. He became head coach at Zalgiris Vilnius by December 2014, winning league titles and cups, and now manages Sabah, a club established in 2017, in their Champions League debut.