+34
Sabah manager Valdas Dambrauskas's rise from a student visa in London to leading the Azerbaijani champions in the Champions League is a tale of unyielding determination and community-rooted coaching. His journey, marked by multiple jobs to support his family and a commitment to developing young talent, culminated in a league title and a historic match against Manchester United.
David Sneyd PICK A FAIRYTALE, any fairytale. You still won't find a story with as many strands of sacrifice and inspiration in this season's Champions League that comes close to Sabah manager Valdas Dambrauskas' journey to this point.
The Lithuanian was not the man in charge of the Azerbaijani champions when they lost 1-0 home and away to St Patrick's Athletic in the third qualifying round of the Uefa Conference League in 2024. There will likely only be two survivors in the starting XI to face Manchester United in their opening game of the league phase at Old Trafford on Thursday night.
Dambrauskas arrived in 2025 and guided the Sabah to the title with a nine-point advantage over Qarabağ FK. Sabah's journey is incredible given they were only founded seven years ago. For further context, Dambrauskas is only 49 and already coached in nine different countries. But that only scratches the surface.
Advertisement Valdas Dambrauskas after winning the first qualifying round of the Champions League. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo At every turn his story becomes more remarkable. There would be enough tales to keep the most diligent fact-checker busy. He moved to England after winning 4,000 litas (around €900) on the Lithuanian version of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?
It was August 2002 (Ireland was still reeling from Saipan and the World Cup while Roy Keane got on with life in Manchester as captain of United) and Dambrauskas arrived on a student visa. He was 25, and as laid out in a riveting interview with the BBC he spoke little English while also raising two children with his partner. Two years after landing in England his career began to take off.
The London Football Association awarded him a Uefa coaching licence and his experiences were rooted in community, volunteering to coach deprived children in the north London's Access to Sports Project. His own education continued with a course in sports science and coaching at London Metropolitan University. He also took charge of the London Tigers, a charitable organisation with teams from youths to semi-professional level.
He got his first break at a professional club when, fittingly, he got an opportunity with the Manchester United Soccer Schools in 2004. He returned to London for a spell with Fulham. The door was ajar, but not fully open. To support his family, Dambrauskas explained how he worked up to four jobs at a time.
He polished floors in a pub, picked up shifts in retail, had a newspaper round as well as a handyman and gardener. In that chat with the BBC, he cited former Brentford academy director Ose Aibangee as a key influence on his career. This rings true very quickly when Aibangee takes a call from The 42 to explain more about Dambrauskas' rise from putting on sessions with kids from nine to 12 years old at the west London club.
"We helped and guided as best we could to provide the right environment and culture, but it's all down to the individual and how they want to progress and get better. Just like we do with players, we can aim to help them develop and improve but 90% of why players become players is because of themselves, it's the same for Valdas, he is the one who made this happen for himself.
" Aibangee was tipped off by a friend on the coaching scene about the Lithuanian working with London Tigers and went to watch him on the sideline. What he saw was "somebody extremely conscientious and hard-working" and as they worked up close those traits shone through even more.
In the couple of years he stayed with Brentford before returning to Lithuania to work with the underage international teams, Aibangee recalls a colleague "completely driven by football, who wanted to be the best regardless of what age group he was working with.
" Valdas Dambrauskas (right) speaks with substitute Fotis Kitsos while in charge of Omonia Nicosia in 2024. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo Aibangee says Dambrauskas was always reading, researching and studying away from the training ground, bringing that enthusiasm with him and "treating the young players with respect, making sure they worked hard and always engaging with them.
"It's an amazing story but it's not a surprise something like this has happened for him because he always tried to focus on wanting to be the best and working towards that," Aibangee says. "He made mistakes, of course, he was inexperienced and learning, but you never had to tell him anything twice. " The former Brentford academy director believes the focus at that level is always on developing players and individuals rather than simply creating successful teams.
"A lot of coaches get too 'teamy'," Aibangee says. "Teams ain't important, it's the players, we didn't want our coaches to get too attached to teams.
Valdas Dambrauskas Sabah FC Champions League Manchester United London Football Association Ose Aibangee Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? Azerbaijani Football
Ireland Latest News, Ireland Headlines
Similar News: You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Aston Villa kick off Champions League campaign by winning five-goal thrillerUnai Emery’s side have made a dismal start in the Premier League but were too good for Club Brugge.
Read more »
Troy Parrott scores winning goal as Real Betis beat Lille 3-2 in Champions LeagueTroy Parrott scored the decisive goal as Real Betis twice came from behind to beat Lille 3-2 in the Champions League. Marc Bartra scored twice and Ethan Mbappé was sent off.
Read more »
Troy Parrott's Sharp Footwork and Crisp Finishing Prove Decisive in Champions League DebutIn a thrilling match at the Stade Pierre Mauroy, Troy Parrott showcased his elite striker qualities by scoring the winning goal for Real Betis against Lille. After missing a critical chance before halftime, Parrott maintained his composure and executed a precise shot in the 53rd minute, securing a 3-2 victory for his team. This performance marks a significant milestone in Parrott's career, building upon his promising start in Spanish football.
Read more »
Champions League round-up: Madrid down Inter, City start with winMadrid down Inter, City start with win
Read more »