From Pub Floor Cleaner to the Champions League: An Incredible Journey

Valdas Dambrauskas, the 49-year-old Lithuanian coach of Azerbaijani side Sabah, arrives at Old Trafford tonight (Thursday) for a Champions League match against Manchester United. For Dambrauskas, this is a remarkable achievement and a personal full-circle moment: just over 20 years ago, he worked odd manual jobs in London to fund his dream of becoming a football coach.

Dambrauskas' journey began at age 12 when he realized he wouldn't become a professional player but aspired to coach. To move to England, he participated at age 25 in the local Lithuanian version of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?", answered the questions correctly, and used his winnings to buy a plane ticket and study in London.

Upon landing in England in 2002, he sometimes worked four jobs simultaneously—as a gardener, newspaper deliverer, renovation worker, and pub floor cleaner—to pay for English FA coaching courses.

His first step in the industry came through volunteering to coach children in London. In 2004, he was hired by Manchester United's soccer schools department, coaching youngsters and becoming the first Lithuanian to earn a UEFA coaching license through the English FA. He later held coaching roles at Fulham and Brentford before embarking on a senior managerial career that included winning 13 titles in Eastern Europe, among them in Lithuania, Croatia, and Bulgaria.

This past season, Dambrauskas led Sabah to a league and cup double in Azerbaijan. The club advanced to the Champions League league phase for the first time in its history after battling from the first qualifying round and overcoming Hapoel Beer Sheva in a dramatic playoff extra-time thriller. The draw handed the Lithuanian coach a matchup against Manchester United at Old Trafford, alongside games against Arsenal, Barcelona, and Borusia Dortmund.