Valdas Dambrauskas, manager of Azerbaijani club Sabah, is set to return to Old Trafford on Thursday for a Champions League fixture. This marks a full circle for the Lithuanian coach, who began his coaching career with Manchester United Soccer Schools some two decades ago.
Dambrauskas' journey into football coaching started after he used winnings from the Lithuanian version of 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?' to move to London. He spent eight years in England, taking on various casual jobs while coaching for community projects and semi-professional clubs, and raising two children.
His career has since seen him manage eight teams in seven countries over nine years, accumulating 13 trophies. This includes two league titles with Zalgiris Vilnius, a Latvian Cup with RFS, a league title and Super Cup with Ludogorets Razgrad, and the Croatian Cup with Hajduk Split. In his first season with Sabah in 2025, he secured a league and cup double.
Sabah is also scheduled to play Arsenal in January to complete their Champions League group games.