🔗 Share this article I Go By Man Utd: The Die-Hard Supporter Who Struggled to Change His Legal Name Ask any United fan of a certain age about the meaning of May 26th, 1999, and they'll recount that the occasion was life-altering. It was the night when dramatic late goals from Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjær secured an unbelievable late turnaround in the showpiece event against the German giants at the famous Barcelona stadium. Simultaneously, the existence of one devoted supporter in Eastern Europe, who passed away at the age of 62, took a new direction. Aspirations Under Communism This individual was originally called Marin Levidzhov in his hometown, 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… the Red Devils. Yet, to claim the name of a football club from the Western world was mission impossible. Any effort to do so prior to the end of communism, he would undoubtedly have been arrested. A Promise Forged in Drama A decade after the political changes in Bulgaria – on that night in May 1999 – Marin's idiosyncratic dream came one step closer to reality. Viewing the match from his humble abode in Svishtov and with the score against them, Marin swore an oath to himself: should his team mount a comeback, he would spare no effort to legally adopt the name that of the object of his devotion. Then, against all odds, it transpired. Marin fulfils his dream of visiting Old Trafford. A Protracted Court Struggle The following morning, Marin visited a lawyer to present his unique case, thus beginning a long, hard battle. The parent who inspired him, from whom he had learned to support the club, was long gone, and the 36-year-old was residing with his mom, 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 was featured globally, but a decade and a half full of legal battles and disheartening court decisions lay ahead. Legal Obstacles and Small Wins His request was turned down at first for intellectual property issues: he was barred from using the title of a world-famous brand. Then a presiding magistrate granted a limited approval, saying Marin could modify his forename to Manchester but that he was could not adopt the second part as his legal last name. “However, I desire to be identified with an urban area in the UK, I want to bear the identity of my favourite football club,” Marin informed the judge. His fight went on. His Beloved Cats When not in court, he was often tending to his pets. He had a large number in his back yard in Svishtov and held them in the same esteem as the his team. He christened them after team stars: such as Vidic and others, they were the celebrity pets in town. Which was the favourite cat of the name they used? The feline known as Beckham. Marin bedecked in United gear. Breakthroughs and Principles He achieved a further success in court: he was granted the right to append the club name as an official nickname on his identification document. But still he wasn’t happy. “My efforts will persist until my full name is the club's title,” he promised. His narrative resulted in business offers – an offer to have fan merchandise made using his identity – but even with his monetary challenges, he rejected the opportunity because he did not want to profit from his adored institution. The club's identity was sacred to him. Aspirations Fulfilled and Final Acts A documentary followed in 2011. The crew turned Marin’s dream of experiencing the Theatre of Dreams and there he even had the chance to see the Bulgarian striker, the forward on the team's roster at the time. Marin tattooed the team emblem on his forehead three years later as a protest against the legal rulings and in his closing chapter it became increasingly hard for him to continue his legal battle. Work was limited and he was bereaved to the virus. But he managed to continue. By birth a Catholic, he got baptised in an religious institution under the name the identity he sought. “In the eyes of the divine, I am with my true identity,” he often stated. Earlier this week, his heart stopped beating. It is possible that the club's restless soul could at last be at rest.