Inquire of any United fan from an earlier generation regarding the meaning of May 26th, 1999, and they'll recount that the date changed them forever. It was the moment when dramatic late goals from Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjær completed an unbelievable late turnaround in the Champions League final against Bayern Munich at the Camp Nou. Simultaneously, the life of one loyal follower in Eastern Europe, who passed away at the age of 62, was transformed.
This individual was originally called Marin Zdravkov Levidzhov in Svishtov, a community with a modest number of residents. Living in the former Eastern Bloc with a devotion to football, he longed to adopting a new name to… the Red Devils. But, to take the name of a organization from the capitalist west was an unattainable goal. Any effort to do so during the socialist era, he would likely have been arrested.
Ten years after the end of communism in Bulgaria – on the historic evening – Marin's idiosyncratic dream edged closer to fulfillment. Viewing the match from his simple residence in Svishtov and with the score against them, Marin swore an oath to himself: in the event of a reversal, he would go to any lengths to become known as that of the object of his devotion. Then, the impossible happened.
Marin fulfils his dream of visiting Old Trafford.
The following morning, Marin sought legal counsel to present his unique case, thus starting a grueling process. His dad, from whom he had learned to support the club, was long gone, and the man in his thirties was residing with his mom, working all kinds of odd jobs, including as a builder on minimal earnings. He was hardly making ends meet, yet his aspiration grew into a mania. He rapidly evolved into the talk of the town, then gained worldwide attention, but many seasons full of judicial disputes and setbacks in litigation lay ahead.
Marin’s wish was denied early on for intellectual property issues: he could not change his name of a trademark known around the globe. Then a local judge 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. “But I don’t want to be named after a city in the UK, I want to carry the title of my beloved team,” Marin told the court. The battle persisted.
During breaks from litigation, he was often looking after his cats. He had a large number in his outdoor space in Svishtov and cherished them equally with the Manchester United. He gave each one a name after club legends: including Ferdinand and Rooney, they were the most famous cats in town. Who was his preferred pet of his close friends' nickname for him? One named after David Beckham.
Marin bedecked in United gear.
Another victory was secured in court: he was granted the right to append the club name as an official nickname on his ID card. But he remained dissatisfied. “I will continue until my complete identity is as I desire,” he vowed. His tale attracted commercial propositions – an offer to have supporters' goods branded with his legal name – but even with his monetary challenges, he declined the proposal because he was unwilling to gain financially from his beloved team. The club's identity was sacred to him.
A film was made in 2011. The crew turned Marin’s dream of experiencing the Theatre of Dreams and there he even encountered his compatriot, the forward on the team's roster at the time.
Marin tattooed the club badge on his brow three years later as a objection to the court decisions and in his last few years it became increasingly hard for him to persist with his fight. Job opportunities were scarce and he was bereaved to Covid-19. But he managed to continue. By birth a Catholic, he was christened in an religious institution under the name the identity he sought. “At least God will know me with my chosen name,” he would frequently remark.
This Monday, 13 October, his life came to an end. Perhaps now Manchester United’s persistent fan could achieve eternal tranquility.
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