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Ask any United devotee from an earlier generation regarding the importance of May 26th, 1999, and they will tell you that the date was life-altering. It was the moment when last-minute strikes from Teddy Sheringham and Solskjær secured an incredible late turnaround in the Champions League final against the German giants at the famous Barcelona stadium. That same night, the existence of one devoted supporter in Eastern Europe, who passed away at the 62 years old, took a new direction.

Hopes in a Bygone Era

The fan in question was given the name Marin Zdravkov Levidzhov in his hometown, a settlement with a modest number of residents. Living in a socialist state with a passion for football, he longed to changing his name to… his beloved club. However, to claim the name of a football club from the other side of the Iron Curtain was an unattainable goal. Had Marin tried to do so prior to the end of communism, he would likely have ended up in jail.

A Vow Made Under Pressure

A decade after the end of communism in Bulgaria – on that night in May 1999 – Marin's idiosyncratic dream edged closer to achievement. Tuning in from home from his modest home in Svishtov and with his team losing, Marin made a promise to himself: in the event of a reversal, he would spare no effort to become known as that of the object of his devotion. Then, the impossible happened.

Marin fulfils his dream of visiting Old Trafford.

Years of Judicial Challenges

The next day, Marin visited a lawyer to state his extraordinary desire, thus starting a grueling process. Marin’s father, 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 construction worker on £15 a day. He was barely getting by, yet his dream became an obsession. He quickly turned into the talk of the town, then became an international sensation, but a decade and a half full of judicial disputes and disheartening court decisions awaited him.

Copyright Hurdles and Partial Victories

His request was denied early on for trademark concerns: he was not permitted to adopt the name of a trademark known around the globe. Then a court official granted a limited approval, saying Marin could alter his given name to the city name but that he was not to use United as his official surname. “But I don’t want to be associated with just a place in the UK, I want to carry the title of my favourite football club,” Marin stated during proceedings. The struggle continued.

Companions in Adversity

Outside of legal proceedings, he was often tending to his pets. He had a large number in his back yard in Svishtov and cherished them equally with the Manchester United. He named them all after club legends: including Ferdinand and Rooney, they were the most famous cats in town. Which was the favourite cat of the name they used? The feline known as Beckham.

His attire consistently showed his allegiance.

Advances and Ethics

Marin managed another breakthrough in court: he was granted the right to append United as an official nickname on his personal papers. But this did not satisfy him. “My efforts will persist until my full name is the club's title,” he promised. His story soon led to business offers – a chance to have fan merchandise branded with his legal name – but although he was in need, he rejected the opportunity because he did not want to profit from his adored institution. The team's title was inviolable.

Dreams Realized and Lasting Tributes

His story was captured in 2011. The filmmakers turned Marin’s dream of visiting Old Trafford and there he even had the chance to see his compatriot, the Bulgaria striker then at the club at the time.

Permanently marked the club badge on his forehead at a later date as a demonstration against the legal rulings and in his last few years it became ever tougher for him to persist with his fight. Employment was hard to find and he suffered the death of his mother to Covid-19. But against the odds, he persevered. By birth a Catholic, he underwent baptism in an Eastern Orthodox church under the name the identity he sought. “In the eyes of the divine, I am with my real name,” he would frequently remark.

On a recent Monday, his life came to an end. Maybe at last the club's restless soul could finally find peace.