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Ask any Man United devotee of a certain age concerning the significance of that fateful day in May 1999, and the answer will be that the night changed them forever. It was the night when injury-time goals from Teddy Sheringham and Solskjær sealed an unbelievable late turnaround in the European Cup final against the German giants at the Camp Nou. Simultaneously, the existence of one United fan in Eastern Europe, who passed away at the age of 62, took a new direction.

Hopes in a Bygone Era

That supporter was born Marin Levidzhov in his hometown, a settlement with a modest number of residents. Being raised in the former Eastern Bloc with a devotion to football, he dreamed of adopting a new name to… Manchester United. However, to adopt the name of a sports team from the Western world was mission impossible. Had Marin tried to do so during the socialist era, he would undoubtedly have ended up in jail.

A Vow Made Under Pressure

Ten years after the end of communism in Bulgaria – on the historic evening – Marin's idiosyncratic dream came one step closer to reality. Viewing the match from his modest home in Svishtov and with the score against them, Marin made a promise to himself: should his team mount a comeback, he would spare no effort to change his name that of the team he adored. Then, against all odds, it transpired.

A lifelong wish to walk the halls of the famous stadium came true.

Years of Judicial Challenges

A day later, Marin consulted an attorney to state his extraordinary desire, thus initiating a difficult fight. His dad, from whom he had learned to support the club, was no longer alive, and the 36-year-old was residing with his mom, taking on various types of work, including as a builder on a meager daily wage. He was struggling financially, yet his goal turned into a fixation. He soon became the talk of the town, then was featured globally, but many seasons full of judicial disputes and disheartening court decisions were to come.

Legal Obstacles and Small Wins

The application was denied early on for intellectual property issues: he could not change his name of a trademark known around the globe. Then a presiding magistrate allowed a compromise, saying Marin could alter his given name to Manchester but that he was prohibited from using United as his official surname. “Yet my aim is to be identified with an urban area in England, I want to carry the title of my favourite football club,” Marin told the court. The battle persisted.

Companions in Adversity

When not in court, he was often looking after his cats. He had many animals in his outdoor space in Svishtov and cherished them equally with the Red Devils. He gave each one a name after team stars: from Rio to Rooney, they were the most famous cats in town. Who was his preferred pet of the name they used? A kitty called Beckham.

Marin bedecked in United gear.

Advances and Ethics

He achieved a further success in court: he was permitted to include the club name as an official nickname on his identification document. But this did not satisfy him. “I will continue until my complete identity is as I desire,” he promised. His story soon led to financial opportunities – an offer to have fan merchandise made using his identity – but despite his financial struggles, he turned down the offer because he refused to make money from his favourite club. The Manchester United name was inviolable.

Aspirations Fulfilled and Final Acts

A film was made in that year. The crew fulfilled his wish of visiting Old Trafford and there he even had the chance to see Dimitar Berbatov, the national team player playing for United at the time.

Permanently marked the club badge on his brow three years later as a protest against the legal rulings and in his closing chapter it became ever tougher for him to persist with his fight. Work was limited and he lost his mother to the pandemic. But somehow, he found a way. By birth a Catholic, he was christened 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.

This Monday, 13 October, his life came to an end. Perhaps now the club's determined supporter could achieve eternal tranquility.