Valdas Dambrauskas [Aykhan Zayedzadeh]

A LONDON Metropolitan University alumnus will make his return to Islington in the manager’s dugout at the Emirates Stadium – when the team he manages take on Arsenal in the Champions League.

Valdas Dambrauskas is a former student of the Holloway Road university’s Sports Science and Coaching programme, graduating in 2009.

He is now the manager of Azerbaijani first division team Sabah, who were drawn against the Gunners in the Champions League. The match at the Emirates is set for January 2027.

Mr Dambrauskas was born in Lithuania and won a sum of money on the Lithuanian TV version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire?, which helped pay for his studies at LMU.

“Winning the money on that TV show really helped me to come to England to study, and from there I was able to get up the coaching ladder and begin my career,” he said.

After graduating in 2009, he began a career in football management, taking the helm at teams in Lithuania, Cyprus and Croatia. He led Sabah to their first ever Azerbaijani league title win this year.

Dr Reisha Hull, from the university’s sports department, said: “Our sport programmes here at London Met are designed to give students the grounding they need to succeed in a diverse range of roles across the sports industry. It’s great to see graduates taking those foundations into elite environments and continuing to excel at the highest levels of the profession.”

Sabah will play against Arsenal, Barcelona and Manchester United during the campaign.