28/08/2026
Quite possibly the greatest Champions League story of all time.
Sabah FC are into the Champions League for the first time in their history — but the story behind the manager who got them there is absolutely brilliant. 🇦🇿👏
Valdas Dambrauskas didn’t come through the usual route. He wasn’t some ex-pro with doors already open for him. Back in 2000, he was a student with no professional playing career behind him, just trying to find a way into football from the outside.
Then he went on **Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?**
He won enough money to travel to England and, instead of wasting it, put it straight into chasing his dream of becoming a coach.
He used it to take coaching courses, learn the game properly and pick up experience around clubs like Manchester United, Fulham and Brentford.
No big name. No easy route. Just backing himself and getting on with it.
In 2007, he took over ninth-tier Kingsbury London Tigers and ended up producing some of the best results in the club’s history.
From there, he grafted his way up.
Job by job. League by league. Country by country.
He built his reputation across the Baltic leagues, kept proving himself, and earned every step of the journey the hard way.
Now, fast forward to 2026…
🏆 Azerbaijani league champion.
🏆 Azerbaijani Cup winner.
🔥 Finished above Qarabag.
⭐ Took Sabah into the Champions League league phase for the first time ever.
From using quiz-show winnings to pay for his coaching education…
To managing on the biggest stage in club football.
That is some journey.
No playing career at the top level. No silver spoon. No obvious path.
Just graft, belief and a proper love for the game.
Football still throws up some unbelievable stories. ❤️👏
