Not many football coaches can say their UEFA badges were funded by a television game show, but Valdas Dambrauskas is not like most coaches. The Lithuanian manager used winnings from Who Wants to Be a Millionaire to finance his coaching education — and he is now preparing to take his Sabah side into the UEFA Champions League.

Dambrauskas landed the Sabah job in a manner almost as unlikely as his path into coaching. He told the story himself: a mutual contact flagged his name to the club's hierarchy, the club liked what they heard, and he was appointed without the drawn-out process that usually accompanies top-level recruitment.

From game show to the biggest stage in club football

The journey from television contestant to Champions League manager is remarkable by any measure. Dambrauskas competed on the Lithuanian edition of the long-running quiz programme, walked away with a significant sum, and chose to invest every bit of it into obtaining his coaching qualifications — a decision that has now placed him on one of the sport's grandest stages.

Sabah, based in Azerbaijan, have earned their place in the UEFA Champions League through domestic success, and Dambrauskas has been the driving force behind their rise. The club represent a growing footballing culture in their country, and European competition brings with it both prestige and scrutiny.

A test of tactical credentials

The Champions League assignment will pit Dambrauskas against some of the most decorated managers in the competition. It is a stern examination of everything he has built at Sabah — and a chance to announce himself to a wider European audience.

His is a story that stretches well beyond tactics boards and training drills: a coach who bet on himself at a televised quiz table, turned a cash prize into professional credentials, and has since worked his way to the summit of club football's most prestigious tournament. Few paths to the Champions League have been quite this unconventional.