🔗 Share this article

Inquire of any United devotee of a certain age concerning the meaning of 26 May 1999, and they will tell you that the occasion was life-altering. It was the evening when injury-time goals from Teddy Sheringham and Solskjær completed an unbelievable come-from-behind victory in the European Cup final against the German giants at the Camp Nou. It was also, the existence of one United fan in Eastern Europe, who recently died at the 62 years old, was transformed.

Hopes in a Bygone Era

This individual was given the name Marin Zdravkov Levidzhov in Svishtov, a community with a population of 22,000. Being raised in communist Bulgaria with a devotion to football, he longed to adopting a new name to… his beloved club. But, to claim the name of a sports team from the Western world was mission impossible. Any effort to do so during the socialist era, he would undoubtedly have been arrested.

A Promise Forged in Drama

A decade after the fall of the regime in Bulgaria – on the historic evening – Marin's personal goal edged closer to reality. Viewing the match from his humble abode in Svishtov and with the score against them, Marin vowed to himself: in the event of a reversal, he would go to any lengths to change his name that of the object of his devotion. Then, a miracle occurred.

He realized his ambition to see the Theatre of Dreams.

Years of Judicial Challenges

The following morning, Marin consulted an attorney to express his unusual request, thus initiating a difficult fight. The parent who inspired him, from whom he had learned to support the club, was no longer alive, and the man in his thirties was living with his mother, taking on various types of work, including as a builder on £15 a day. He was struggling financially, yet his dream became an obsession. He rapidly evolved into the talk of the town, then gained worldwide attention, but many seasons full of court cases and discouraging rulings lay ahead.

Legal Obstacles and Small Wins

Marin’s wish was denied early on for copyright reasons: he was barred from using the title of a trademark known around the globe. Then a presiding magistrate granted a limited approval, saying Marin could modify his forename to Manchester but that he was not to use the second part as his legal last name. “Yet my aim is to be identified with an urban area in England, I want to wear the name of my favourite football club,” Marin informed the judge. The battle persisted.

A Life with Feline Friends

Outside of legal proceedings, he was often looking after his cats. He had a large number in his back yard in Svishtov and cherished them equally with the his team. He gave each one a name after team stars: from Rio to Rooney, they were the most famous cats in town. Which was the favourite cat of Man U? A kitty called Beckham.

He was often seen in full club regalia.

Advances and Ethics

He achieved a further success in court: he was allowed to add United as an legal alternative on his identification document. But this did not satisfy him. “I won’t stop until my complete identity is Manchester United,” he vowed. His narrative resulted in commercial propositions – a chance to have fan merchandise branded with his legal name – but although he was in need, he declined the proposal because he refused to make money from his favourite club. The team's title was beyond commercial use.

Goals Achieved and Enduring Symbols

His story was captured in 2011. The production team turned Marin’s dream of experiencing the Theatre of Dreams and there he even had the chance to see the Bulgarian striker, the national team player playing for United at the time.

Marin tattooed the club badge on his brow at a later date as a protest against the legal rulings and in his closing chapter it became increasingly hard for him to continue his legal battle. Employment was hard to find and he suffered the death of his mother to the virus. But somehow, he found a way. By birth a Catholic, he underwent baptism in an Eastern Orthodox church under the name the identity he sought. “At least God will know me with my real name,” he often stated.

This Monday, 13 October, his time ran out. It is possible that Manchester United’s persistent fan could at last be at rest.