From TV quiz winner to Champions League coach: the unlikely rise of Valdas Dambrauskas

Valdas Dambrauskas’ route to leading Sabah FK into the UEFA Champions League began not on a football pitch, but on a Lithuanian television quiz show.

Dambrauskas, now 49, was a 25-year-old student in 2002 when he appeared on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? At the time, he had never played football professionally.

According to Eastern Newsline, Dambrauskas won €3,000 on the programme. Adjusted for inflation, that prize would be worth about R55,000 today.

He used the money to travel to England, where he studied Sports Science and Coaching at London Metropolitan University. That decision marked the beginning of a coaching journey which would eventually take him to the UEFA Champions League.

The Lithuanian is now the head coach of Sabah FK, who will compete in the league phase of Europe’s elite club competition this season. The club reached that stage after progressing through four qualifying rounds, securing Champions League football for the first time in its history.

Among Sabah’s players is Aden McCarthy, who will be part of the squad for the club’s landmark campaign. McCarthy will therefore be competing in the Champions League under a manager whose own path into football began with a television game show appearance.

After completing his studies, Dambrauskas gained coaching experience at several prominent English clubs, including Manchester United, Fulham and Brentford. His early work in the game laid the foundations for a career that has now placed him among the coaches leading teams in the Champions League.

Sabah’s achievement means Dambrauskas has moved from quiz-show contestant to one of only 36 coaches involved in this season’s league phase of the competition.

For the club, reaching the tournament represents a historic breakthrough. For its manager, it is the latest stage of an unusual journey that started with a €3,000 prize, a move to England and a decision to pursue studies in sports science and coaching.

McCarthy’s involvement adds another chapter to the story. The player’s new manager has gone from winning money on Lithuanian television to guiding Sabah FK through four qualifying rounds and into its first-ever Champions League campaign.