According to The Athletic, 49-year-old Valdas Dabrauskus has led Sabah Baku to the UEFA Champions League group stage, where they will face Manchester United at Old Trafford.

Valdas Dabrauskus began the conversation with an apology.

The 49-year-old manager had just led Azerbaijan's Sabah Baku to the UEFA Champions League group stage. On Thursday local time, he would lead his team against Manchester United at Old Trafford.

But this historic achievement was not the opening topic of conversation. Instead, an experience from a television show 24 years earlier came up first. In 2002, Dabrauskus appeared on Lithuanian TV show "60-1 Million" (a quiz show based on "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire").

"I've been asked about it a hundred times over the past two weeks," Dabrauskus laughed, reflecting on his television experience. After Sabah Baku secured their group stage spot, the show's video circulated widely on social media. "It's like a Hollywood film — they're trying to compress an entire person's life story into it."

That television appearance marked a turning point in his career. At 25, his playing career had never progressed beyond his country's semi-professional third tier. "My childhood dream was to become a football manager, but at that time I didn't have UEFA coaching qualifications. Unless you were a famous player, it was nearly impossible."

Dabrauskus made a plan: move to London, take coaching courses, improve his English, and begin a long coaching career. But he needed funds. After appearing on the television show, he won 4,000 litai — Lithuania's currency before switching to the euro in 2015 — equivalent to roughly £725 or $1,300 at the time. The prize money equaled approximately half a year's salary for an average Lithuanian and funded Dabrauskus's trip to London that summer.

"Those years in England were really tough," Dabrauskus recalled. He moved to Britain with Ingrida, then his girlfriend and now his wife. "We arrived with no connections, no help, no money, and barely spoke English. It was a huge challenge." The couple eventually settled in North London, where they spent roughly a decade, and where their two children were born.

"I had to do any odd job I could find. At my busiest, I was juggling four or five jobs simultaneously. On top of that, I was studying full-time at university, volunteering at a local football club, and raising children with my wife."

At various times, Dabrauskus worked as a handyman, in retail, in kindergartens, cleaning floors in local pubs, delivering newspapers, providing private childcare, and in sports development. He often worked several of these jobs at once. The income helped him pay for his university degree and coaching courses, with commute time between jobs spent studying. He eventually earned an honors degree in Sport Science and Coaching from London Metropolitan University.

"It was a huge challenge, but everything was within our expectations. We were grateful for our life then and the opportunities it brought us. Moving to England was the best choice we could have made at that time."

In 2004, he got his first opportunity at Manchester United's Soccer School, followed by roles at Fulham and Brentford in London. His first managerial role came at semi-professional Kingsbury London Tigers, where he led them in the FA Cup qualifying rounds. The club was community-based and known for its diverse playing group.

"On that team, it was normal to have 11 players of different nationalities on the field. It really broadened my perspective and taught me about many different cultures, languages, and backgrounds."

When Sabah Baku beat Israel's Hapoel Beer Sheva to secure Champions League qualification, Dabrauskus's starting lineup also featured players from 11 different nationalities.

In late 2010, Dabrauskus and his family returned to Lithuania. He was appointed assistant coach of champions Ekranas' first team and manager of their reserve side, while also coaching Lithuania's U17 team and later the U19 team. By 2014, he was considered a rising star in domestic coaching circles and became manager of Žalgiris, the country's largest and most successful club. In three years, he led them to eight trophies, including two league titles.

By 2024, Dabrauskus had won 13 trophies across five countries, including league titles in Lithuania, Bulgaria, and Azerbaijan, and domestic cup titles in Latvia and Croatia. He has also managed clubs in Greece, Cyprus, and Hungary. While he had set the famous Champions League anthem as his phone ringtone, he had never managed in a top European competition group stage until now.

In 2023, Dabrauskus first made contact with Azerbaijan's Sabah Baku. "They impressed me. They were very clear about what they wanted, and they were highly ambitious. They talked about building a new training facility and establishing a scouting system — the team's potential was evident."

Ultimately, Dabrauskus chose to manage Cyprus's Omonia Nicosia, but maintained contact with Sabah Baku's sports director Ramin Hasanov. "That initial professional contact gradually developed into a very strong relationship. We were texting almost every day, talking about football."

Last summer, Dabrauskus accepted a new offer from Sabah Baku. That season was unprecedented in its success. Sabah Baku won the club's first-ever league title, claimed the domestic double, and recorded 33 consecutive matches unbeaten, ending Qarabag's domestic dominance. Qarabag had won 11 of the previous 12 league titles and reached the Champions League playoffs. While Qarabag's success was historic for Azerbaijani football, their European commitments ultimately cost them — they finished nine points behind Sabah Baku.

Sabah Baku is based in Masazir, located 15 kilometers northwest of the capital Baku. They became the first team to reach the Champions League knockout stage with pink as one of their main colors. The club's nickname is "The Pink-Blacks," with the pink element inspired by the unique pink surface of the nearby Masazir Lake.

The club was founded in 2017, three years after the Azerbaijan Ministry of Education established the "Sabah Baku Group." The project aimed to "improve the quality of higher education and introduce innovative teaching methods." Azerbaijan's Deputy Minister of Education Firdın Qulbanov sits on Sabah Baku's board, with real estate magnate Yakub Hasanoff as board chairman.

Under Dabrauskus, Sabah Baku became Azerbaijan champions. Their path to the Champions League included victories over Wales's The New Saints, Finland's KuPS, Denmark's AGF Aarhus, and Hapoel Beer Sheva. Due to their limited European experience, Sabah Baku were unseeded in every round. The tie against Hapoel Beer Sheva was particularly dramatic — in the second leg, Sabah Baku's Terell Mulitalo rescued them in the fourth minute of added time, then they prevailed in extra time.

"For someone without a football background, managing in the Champions League is a major achievement," Dabrauskus said. "But for me, every milestone is very special, and every achievement comes with great responsibility."

"I'm looking forward to this experience, but there are still more dreams to chase."

For Dabrauskus, facing Manchester United — the club where he gained crucial coaching experience early in his career — brings his journey full circle. It also recalls the television show that set him on his life's path.

"That was a very difficult quiz show with many challenging questions," he said with a wry smile.

"There was one question I didn't know back then: Who was the first person to win the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1929 and receive the first Oscar! If I ever encounter that question again, his name will be forever etched in my memory… Emil Jannings!"

AI翻訳。

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