"I think this story about the TV quiz is a little overrated," Valdas Dambrauskas told Euronews after he became the first Baltic coach to reach the Champions League main round, leading a club that did not exist nine years ago to fixtures against Arsenal, Manchester United and Barcelona.
In 2002, Dambrauskas won the prize money on the Lithuanian television show "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" and used it to move to England to fund his UEFA coaching badges.
He had no professional football background.
To pay for the courses, he worked as a babysitter, salesman and newspaper delivery man. He eventually got into the youth academies at Fulham, Brentford and Manchester United. Sabah FC in Baku is his 10th club.
"Sometimes it was difficult. I had to work hard, and sometimes to believe when myself and those around me were doubting," Dambrauskas recalled.
