Valdas Dambrauskas is a Lithuanian football coach who has built an international career across Lithuania, Latvia, Croatia, Bulgaria, Greece, Cyprus, Hungary and Azerbaijan. Born and raised in the small Lithuanian town of Pakruojis, he came from a working-class household and experienced significant hardship during childhood, including losing his father when he was only 11 years old.
Valdas Dambrauskas’s family has remained an important source of stability throughout a profession that regularly requires him to live far from home. His wife is Ingrida Dambrauskienė, commonly referred to simply as Ingrida in interviews, and the couple have two sons, Lukas and Midas. Dambrauskas has also publicly confirmed that he grew up with three siblings.
As of now, his wife and children maintain considerably more privacy than the successful coach, but Dambrauskas has spoken openly enough over the years to provide a detailed picture of the close family behind his football career.
Who Is Valdas Dambrauskas’s Wife?
Valdas Dambrauskas’s wife is Ingrida Dambrauskienė. She has been his partner since long before he became a prominent professional football coach.
In a major family interview during his time with Žalgiris Vilnius, Dambrauskas identified his wife as Ingrida and said she had consistently supported him wherever his career took him.
Another interview during his period with HNK Gorica revealed just how long their relationship goes back. Dambrauskas said in 2020 that he and his wife had already been together for 26 years, since their school days.
This means Ingrida was beside him years before his move to England, his coaching studies and his eventual breakthrough into professional European football.
Who Is Ingrida Dambrauskienė?
Ingrida Dambrauskienė is the longtime wife of Valdas Dambrauskas.
In a 2016 Lithuanian interview, Valdas revealed that Ingrida worked for an insurance company. At the time, he described her as someone who always supported him and shared the emotional ups and downs associated with his teams.
Unlike her husband, Ingrida has generally remained outside sports media. She occasionally appears alongside Valdas publicly, but she has not attempted to turn his coaching success into a high-profile public career of her own.
The couple were photographed together during a visit to Valdas’s hometown municipality in Pakruojis in 2021, when local officials congratulated him on his achievements with Ludogorets.
How Long Have Valdas Dambrauskas and Ingrida Been Together?
Their relationship dates back to their school years.
When discussing his family in Croatia in 2020, Dambrauskas said that he and his wife had been together for approximately 26 years.
The comment places the beginning of their relationship around the mid-1990s, long before football coaching became an international career.
That longevity is particularly notable because Dambrauskas’s profession has repeatedly separated the couple geographically. He has worked in numerous countries while his wife and children frequently remained in Lithuania to preserve stability in their education and everyday lives.
How Ingrida Supported Valdas Dambrauskas’s Coaching Career
Dambrauskas has repeatedly emphasized that his family supports his career despite the unusual lifestyle it requires.
During his Žalgiris years, he said that his wife worried about both him and the team and supported him wherever he went.
That support became even more important after he began accepting jobs outside Lithuania.
Professional football coaches can change clubs with very little notice, and Dambrauskas’s career has taken him from Lithuania to Latvia, Croatia, Bulgaria, Greece, Cyprus, Hungary and Azerbaijan.
For much of that period, Ingrida remained the stable presence connecting him with family life in Lithuania.
Does Valdas Dambrauskas Have Children?
Yes. Valdas Dambrauskas and Ingrida have two sons, Lukas and Midas.
Dambrauskas publicly identified both boys in a Lithuanian interview during his time as Žalgiris Vilnius coach.
The older son is Lukas, while the younger is Midas.
Over the years, Dambrauskas has consistently emphasized that his children’s education and happiness matter more to him than whether they follow him into professional football.
Who Is Valdas Dambrauskas’s Older Son Lukas?
Lukas is the older son of Valdas and Ingrida Dambrauskas.
In 2016, Valdas said Lukas was approximately 12 years old and attending school in Lithuania.
By April 2025, the family’s circumstances had changed considerably. Dambrauskas revealed during an interview in Hungary that his older son was studying in Germany.
He did not publicly provide detailed information about the university, course or city, preserving Lukas’s privacy.
The update nevertheless demonstrates how strongly Dambrauskas’s emphasis on education influenced the decisions surrounding his children.
Who Is Valdas Dambrauskas’s Younger Son Midas?
Midas is the younger son of Valdas and Ingrida Dambrauskas.
When Valdas discussed his family in 2016, Midas was approximately ten years old and was attending school.
At that stage, the younger boy also played some football. However, his father was clear that Midas participated primarily because he enjoyed the sport rather than because the family expected him to become a professional player.
In April 2025, Dambrauskas said his younger son was still living in Vilnius with Ingrida and was preparing to finish school.
Do Valdas Dambrauskas’s Sons Play Football?
Neither Lukas nor Midas has developed a publicly documented professional football career.
Dambrauskas has always taken a relaxed approach toward whether his sons should follow him into the sport.
In 2016, he said Midas attended football training because he enjoyed it, but he doubted that either son would become a professional player. He even joked that they might perhaps become coaches instead.
Several years later, while coaching Gorica, Dambrauskas again made clear that football did not hold the same importance for his sons that it did for him.
Rather than push them toward the sport, he emphasized allowing them to decide their own futures.
Education Was More Important Than Football for His Sons
Education is one of Dambrauskas’s strongest beliefs as a father.
While working in Croatia, he explained why his wife and sons remained in Vilnius rather than moving permanently to Zagreb with him.
His sons were established in school, had friends in Lithuania and were building their own lives. Dambrauskas believed repeatedly moving them between countries simply because his coaching job changed would be unfair.
He described education and personal development, together with love, as among the most important things parents can give their children.
That principle can still be seen years later, with Lukas studying in Germany and Midas completing his education in Lithuania.
Why Did Dambrauskas Often Live Away From His Wife and Children?
Dambrauskas’s coaching career created an unusual family arrangement.
When he became Gorica coach in Croatia, it was the first extended period in which he lived separately from his wife and children.
The family decided that remaining in Vilnius provided greater stability for the boys’ schooling and friendships.
Dambrauskas admitted that separation was difficult, but he also believed his career choices should not require everyone else in the household to repeatedly reorganize their lives.
The COVID-19 Period Was Particularly Difficult for the Family
His separation from Ingrida and the children became particularly difficult during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
Dambrauskas was in Croatia while his family remained in Lithuania, and travel restrictions prevented ordinary visits.
He described that period as the longest he had ever spent away from his wife Ingrida and the children.
The family stayed in regular contact by telephone while waiting for travel conditions to improve.
His Family Remained in Lithuania While He Coached Abroad
The same general arrangement continued later in Dambrauskas’s career.
When he coached Diósgyőr in Hungary in 2025, he revealed that he was once again living separately from much of his immediate family.
Ingrida and younger son Midas were in Vilnius, while older son Lukas was studying in Germany. Valdas himself was living and working in Hungary.
He joked that the family was effectively spread across three different places.
He acknowledged missing them but said the situation had become easier now that his children were older.
Who Are Valdas Dambrauskas’s Parents?
Dambrauskas grew up in a working-class Lithuanian family in Pakruojis.
The names of his mother and father have not been widely disclosed by reliable football sources, but Dambrauskas has publicly described their occupations.
His father worked in construction, while his mother worked as a cook in a canteen.
The family did not come from a wealthy or privileged sporting environment. Dambrauskas has instead described a childhood shaped by modest circumstances, hard work and the limited opportunities available in a small Lithuanian town.
Who Was Valdas Dambrauskas’s Father?
Valdas Dambrauskas’s father’s name has not been widely reported publicly.
What is known directly from the coach is that his father worked on construction sites.
Tragically, his father died when Valdas was only 11 years old.
The loss transformed the family’s circumstances and forced Dambrauskas to take on greater responsibility at an unusually young age.
Valdas Dambrauskas Lost His Father at 11
Dambrauskas has described his father’s death as one of the defining difficulties of his childhood.
He was growing up with three siblings in a working-class household when the family lost its father.
As a result, Valdas said he had to begin working early to help support his family.
The experience contributed to the independence and work ethic that later characterized his unconventional route into professional coaching.
Who Is Valdas Dambrauskas’s Mother?
The name of Valdas Dambrauskas’s mother has not been widely published.
He has nevertheless revealed that she worked as a cook in a canteen in Pakruojis.
Following the death of her husband, she was raising a family that included Valdas and his three siblings.
Reliable interviews do not provide enough additional information about her personal life or later career to justify further claims.
Dambrauskas Came From a Working-Class Family
Dambrauskas has explicitly described his upbringing as working class.
Pakruojis was a small town of only several thousand inhabitants, and opportunities for young people were limited.
Many teenagers left for larger Lithuanian cities such as Vilnius and Kaunas after finishing school because there were relatively few major employers or educational opportunities locally.
Dambrauskas’s own childhood involved basketball, athletics, chess and later football, but there was no obvious route from Pakruojis into elite professional coaching.
Does Valdas Dambrauskas Have Siblings?
Yes. Valdas Dambrauskas has three siblings.
This information was confirmed directly by Dambrauskas in a 2025 interview while discussing his childhood in Pakruojis.
He explained that his father died when he was 11 and added that there were four children in the family, including himself.
The names, ages and occupations of the other three children have not been reliably disclosed publicly.
Does Valdas Dambrauskas Have a Brother?
Public sources confirm three siblings but do not reliably establish how many are brothers or sisters.
Dambrauskas did not provide names or genders when discussing his siblings in the detailed 2025 interview.
It would therefore be inaccurate to invent or identify a brother solely through the Dambrauskas surname.
Does Valdas Dambrauskas Have a Sister?
It is likewise not publicly established whether any of his three siblings are sisters.
The coach has chosen not to make his siblings public figures, and established biographies do not provide enough evidence to identify them individually.
The only responsible conclusion is that he has three siblings whose identities remain private.
His Father’s Death Forced Him to Grow Up Quickly
The combination of losing his father and growing up in a household with several children meant Dambrauskas experienced responsibility early.
He has said he needed to begin working while young in order to contribute financially to his family.
This background contrasts sharply with the international coaching career he eventually built.
Instead of progressing through an elite professional playing career, Dambrauskas had to construct his coaching pathway gradually through education, lower-level football and years of work abroad.
Leaving Lithuania for England
At approximately 25, Dambrauskas made another major life decision by moving to England.
He believed England would provide the right environment to study football coaching and build the career he wanted.
He attended London Metropolitan University, studying sport science and coaching, while also gaining practical experience with youth football.
His work eventually included roles connected with Manchester United’s football schools, Fulham’s academy environment and Brentford youth teams.
His Family Supported an Uncertain Career Choice
Dambrauskas’s route into coaching offered little immediate financial security.
Instead of pursuing a conventional profession in Lithuania, he moved abroad and spent years studying and developing within English football.
Ingrida was already part of his life during this period, making her support particularly significant.
Years later, when Dambrauskas had become a championship-winning coach, he continued describing his wife and family as people who had supported him throughout the journey rather than only after success arrived.
Dambrauskas Considers Himself a Family Man
Dambrauskas has explicitly described himself as a family-oriented person.
That made the separation required by overseas coaching particularly difficult.
However, he believed being a good parent sometimes meant accepting separation rather than moving his children repeatedly between schools and countries.
His comments reveal a consistent philosophy: his football career was important, but it should not prevent Lukas and Midas from building their own futures.
Valdas Dambrauskas’s Family Life in 2025
A particularly useful update came during his spell as Diósgyőr coach in Hungary.
In April 2025, Dambrauskas explained that Ingrida and his younger son were living in Vilnius, while his older son was studying in Germany.
He admitted that he missed them but noted that the situation was somewhat easier because both sons were now much older than during his early years coaching abroad.
His comments also confirmed that his marriage to Ingrida remained part of his life decades after their school-age relationship began.
Valdas Dambrauskas and Ingrida Remain Together
Public evidence also continued to identify Ingrida as his wife after his years in Croatia.
In 2024, Croatian reporting discussed a photograph posted of Dambrauskas with his wife Ingrida, showing that the couple remained together long after the earlier interviews about their family.
Their relationship has therefore accompanied practically the entirety of his adult coaching journey.
Valdas Dambrauskas’s Career Has Taken the Family Across European Football
Few coaches from Lithuania have built an international career as extensive as Dambrauskas.
After his development in England, he worked within Lithuanian football with Ekranas and Žalgiris before winning titles as a head coach.
His career subsequently took him to RFS in Latvia, HNK Gorica and Hajduk Split in Croatia, Ludogorets in Bulgaria, OFI Crete in Greece, Omonia in Cyprus, Diósgyőr in Hungary and Sabah in Azerbaijan.
Each move created new logistical challenges for a family whose main home base remained strongly connected to Lithuania.
Valdas Dambrauskas Is Now Coaching Sabah
As of now, Dambrauskas is the head coach of Sabah FC in Azerbaijan.
His 2026 season produced one of the most remarkable achievements of his career when Sabah reached the UEFA Champions League league phase for the first time in the club’s history.
The achievement continued a coaching journey that once appeared extremely unlikely for a working-class boy from Pakruojis who lost his father at 11 and later left Lithuania to learn his profession in England.
Frequently Asked Questions About Valdas Dambrauskas’s Family
Who is Valdas Dambrauskas’s wife?
Valdas Dambrauskas’s wife is Ingrida Dambrauskienė. He has said that they have been together since their school years.
How long have Valdas Dambrauskas and Ingrida been together?
Dambrauskas said in 2020 that they had already been together for approximately 26 years, placing the beginning of their relationship around the mid-1990s.
What does Valdas Dambrauskas’s wife do?
In a 2016 interview, Dambrauskas said Ingrida worked for an insurance company. Reliable newer reporting does not clearly establish whether she still holds the same position.
Does Valdas Dambrauskas have children?
Yes. Valdas and Ingrida have two sons, Lukas and Midas.
Who is Valdas Dambrauskas’s older son?
His older son is Lukas. In 2025, Dambrauskas said Lukas was studying in Germany.
Who is Valdas Dambrauskas’s younger son?
His younger son is Midas. In 2025, he was living with his mother in Vilnius and preparing to finish school.
Are Valdas Dambrauskas’s sons footballers?
No professional football career has been publicly documented for either son. Midas played football recreationally when younger, but Valdas repeatedly emphasized that he would never pressure his children to follow him into the sport.
Who are Valdas Dambrauskas’s parents?
Their names have not been widely disclosed. His father worked in construction, while his mother worked as a canteen cook.
What happened to Valdas Dambrauskas’s father?
Dambrauskas has revealed that his father died when Valdas was 11 years old. The loss created financial difficulties and contributed to Valdas beginning work early to help his family.
Who is Valdas Dambrauskas’s mother?
Her name remains private in reliable reporting. Dambrauskas has said that she worked as a cook in a canteen in Pakruojis.
Does Valdas Dambrauskas have siblings?
Yes. He has publicly confirmed that he grew up with three siblings.
Who are Valdas Dambrauskas’s siblings?
Their names, genders and occupations have not been reliably disclosed publicly.
Where is Valdas Dambrauskas’s family from?
Dambrauskas comes from Pakruojis, Lithuania, where he grew up in a working-class household.
Where does Valdas Dambrauskas’s family live?
In his April 2025 update, he said his wife Ingrida and younger son were living in Vilnius, while his older son was studying in Germany. The family’s circumstances may naturally change as his sons continue their education and adult lives.
Siara Costa is a football editor and writer covering both European men’s and women’s football, with a focus on league competitions, match coverage, and in-depth storytelling.
