In brief
Valdas Dambrauskas used the modest winnings from a 2002 Lithuanian game‑show to move to London, where he began a grind of part‑time jobs and coaching courses, ultimately earning a UEFA licence. Over the next decade he built a varied résumé from grassroots clubs to former Manchester United Soccer Schools internships, before returning to Lithuania and winning titles on three different continents. Today, as Sabah’s manager, he has guided the club from the very first qualifying round to the Champions League, destined to face European giants at Old Trafford and beyond.
Valdas Dambrauskas will walk out at Old Trafford on Thursday as manager of Sabah.
For 49‑year‑old Dambrauskas the move carries deep symbolism – he began his coaching hunger training with Manchester United Soccer Schools 20 years ago after arriving in London on a student visa. He remembers looking out over the Old Trafford pitch on that early interview day and dreaming of chasing a top‑flight career.
His story began in October 2002 when he answered a question on the Lithuanian version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?. He won 4,000 litas (about £725), a sum that covered six months of earnings for the average Lithuanian and gave him the funds to settle in London.
With that modest windfall he enrolled in a sports‑science course at London Metropolitan University and started volunteering with community projects such as the Access to Sports Project. He then moved to the Manchester United Soccer Schools, working part‑time at Brentford, London Tigers and as a sports‑development manager while raising two children.
In 2004, a chance at the Manchester United Soccer Schools gave him his first professional coaching break, after which he spent five years on residential courses across the UK and Europe. He earned the first Lithuanian UEFA coaching licence and managed the first team of a non‑league club in the Spartan South Midlands League.
He returned to Lithuania in 2010, became assistant coach at Ekranas, and after four years was appointed manager of Vilnius’ biggest club, Žalgiris. He secured two league titles, three domestic cups and two super cups – including a treble in 2016.
During the next nine years he stretched his career across eight clubs in five countries: Latvia, Croatia, Bulgaria, Greece, Cyprus, Hungary and finally Azerbaijan. His latest appointment at Sabah saw the club win the league and cup double in its debut season, a first for the club.
Under Dambrauskas, Sabah completed a record‑breaking run through the Champions League qualifiers, defeating TNS, KuPS, Aarhus and Hapoel Beer‑Sheva. In the last qualifying round a late goal by Tellur Mutallimov sent the tie into extra time, culminating in a 6‑4 aggregate win.
"Reaching the Champions League is beyond imagination," Dambrauskas told BBC Sport. "It's the first time we’ve qualified for the Europa League, let alone the Champions League. All we can do is prove we belong out there.”
The club now faces marquee opponents – Borussia Dortmund, Barcelona, Napoli – and will also play in England, a full circle for the coach who grew up dreaming of Old Trafford. Sabah’s president Magsud Adigozalov praised Dambrauskas for instilling a winning mindset, noting that even in tough moments the team keeps fighting.
He reflected on his schoolhouse dreams: “I grew up hearing about Ferguson and Wenger. Now I’ll return as a coach in the Champions League and hear the anthem from Old Trafford.”
