🔗 Share this article I Go By Man Utd: This Superfan Who Fought to Change His Legal Name Pose the question to any Manchester United devotee from an earlier generation concerning the significance of May 26th, 1999, and they'll recount that the date was life-altering. It was the moment when last-minute strikes from Teddy Sheringham and Solskjær completed an stunning 2-1 comeback in the showpiece event against the German giants at the famous Barcelona stadium. It was also, the world of one loyal follower in Bulgaria, who has died at the 62 years old, was transformed. Hopes in a Bygone Era This individual was born Marin Levidzhov in a small Danube town, a place with a population of 22,000. Being raised in a socialist state with a passion for football, he dreamed of changing his name to… his beloved club. But, to claim the name of a football club from the Western world was an unattainable goal. If he had attempted to do so during the socialist era, he would almost certainly have faced imprisonment. A Commitment Sealed by Fate A decade after the end of communism in Bulgaria – on that night in May 1999 – Marin's unique aspiration came one step closer to reality. Viewing the match from his humble abode in Svishtov and with United trailing, Marin vowed 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, against all odds, it transpired. A lifelong wish to walk the halls of the famous stadium came true. The Long Legal Battle The following morning, Marin consulted an attorney to express his unusual request, thus starting a grueling process. His dad, 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 a meager daily wage. He was barely getting by, yet his aspiration grew into a mania. He rapidly evolved into the talk of the town, then gained worldwide attention, but 15 years full of court cases and setbacks in litigation lay ahead. Copyright Hurdles and Partial Victories The application was denied early on for intellectual property issues: he was barred from using the title of a trademark known around the globe. Then a court official granted a limited approval, saying Marin could change his first name to the city name but that he was not to use the second part as his official surname. “Yet my aim is to be associated with just a place in the UK, I want to carry the title of my favourite football club,” Marin informed the judge. The battle persisted. Companions in Adversity During breaks from litigation, he was often caring for his feline friends. He had plenty of them in his garden in Svishtov and cherished them equally with the his team. He named them all after team stars: including Ferdinand and Rooney, they were the celebrity pets in town. The one he loved most of Man U? A kitty called Beckham. He was often seen in full club regalia. Breakthroughs and Principles He achieved a further success in court: he was granted the right to append United as an legal alternative on his ID card. But this did not satisfy him. “My efforts will persist until my entire name is as I desire,” he vowed. His tale attracted business offers – a proposal to have club products produced under his new name – but even with his monetary challenges, he declined the proposal because he refused to make money from his beloved team. The team's title was sacred to him. Goals Achieved and Enduring Symbols A documentary followed in that year. The filmmakers turned Marin’s dream of visiting Old Trafford and there he even encountered his compatriot, the national team player on the team's roster at the time. Permanently marked the club badge on his forehead subsequently as a objection to the legal rulings and in his last few years it became increasingly hard for him to persist with his fight. Employment was hard to find and he suffered the death of his mother to the pandemic. But against the odds, he persevered. Originally of Catholic faith, he underwent baptism in an orthodox church under the name his desired full name. “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. Perhaps now Manchester United’s persistent fan could at last be at rest.