On Thursday, Valdas Dambrauskas will walk out at Old Trafford to face Manchester United as manager of Sabah in the Champions League. When he does so just before 8pm, the Lithuanian’s career will have come full circle, some 20 years since he made his first steps into coaching with Manchester United Soccer Schools.
“This is beyond my imagination,” Dambrauskas told BBC Sport. “To go through that tunnel on to that pitch. “I’ve been many times to Old Trafford with the kids, and now I’m going to come as a coach.” This only scratches the surface of Dambrauskas’ remarkable story.
It begins with an appearance on the Lithuanian version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, Dambrauskas using his modest winnings to move to London and forge a career in football.
It is a tale of casual jobs, a determination to succeed and a nomadic coaching career across Europe – which now brings the 49-year-old back to England in the Champions League with the Azerbaijani club.
