Valdas Dambrauskas' journey to the Champions League
How Sabah manager Valdas Dambrauskas used £725 from a game show to forge a coaching career, leading his team to face Manchester United and Arsenal.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
- Valdas Dambrauskas leads Sabah into the UEFA Champions League against Manchester United and Arsenal.
- His career kicked off using 4,000 litas (about £725) won on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? in 2002.
- He juggled multiple casual jobs like gardening, pub floor polishing, and paper rounds while studying.
- He became the first Lithuanian to earn a UEFA coaching licence through the London Football Association.
On Thursday, Sabah manager Valdas Dambrauskas will walk out at Old Trafford to face Manchester United in the Champions League, with another fixture against Arsenal scheduled for January. This marks a full-circle moment for the Lithuanian coach, returning to England nearly two decades after taking his first steps into coaching with Manchester United Soccer Schools.
The 49-year-old manager's remarkable story began in 2002 when he appeared on the Lithuanian version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? Using his modest winnings, he moved to London to pursue a career in football coaching while enduring years of hard work and juggling multiple jobs.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
As Sabah's players and staff celebrated reaching the Champions League two weeks ago, Dambrauskas unexpectedly became a social media star. The attention stemmed from his appearance on the game show back in 2002, specifically how he utilized his winnings of 4,000 litas (approximately £725)—an amount equivalent to six months' wages for the average Lithuanian at the time.
"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."
Dambrauskas arrived in London in August 2002 at age 25 on a student visa with limited English. Over the next eight years, he dedicated himself to community projects, semi-professional clubs, and youth programmes while raising two children and working numerous odd jobs to make ends meet.
The rise of a grassroots coach to the Champions League stage highlights the robust pathways within European football's coaching education system and English community sports projects, proving that determination can overcome a lack of a professional playing background.
In 2004, he enrolled in a sports science and coaching course at London Metropolitan University and volunteered with community organizations like the Access to Sports Project and London Tigers. His dedication paid off when he became the first Lithuanian to achieve a UEFA coaching licence through the London Football Association.
Before securing his professional break with Manchester United Soccer Schools in 2004, and subsequent stints with Fulham and Brentford, Dambrauskas worked as a gardener, handyman, newspaper delivery person, pub floor polisher, and sports development officer, frequently holding down two to four jobs simultaneously before launching his successful managerial career across Europe.
Source: BBC Sport
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