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Inquire of any Manchester United fan of a certain age regarding the meaning of May 26th, 1999, and the answer will be that the date was life-altering. It was the moment when dramatic late goals from Teddy Sheringham and Solskjær secured an stunning late turnaround in the showpiece event against the German giants at the famous Barcelona stadium. It was also, the existence of one United fan in Eastern Europe, who has died at the 62 years old, changed forever.

A Dream Born in Communist Bulgaria

That supporter was originally called Marin Zdravkov Levidzhov in a small Danube town, a place with a population of 22,000. Living in the former Eastern Bloc with a love of football, he dreamed of changing his name to… Manchester United. However, to adopt the name of a football club from the other side of the Iron Curtain was a futile endeavor. Any effort to do so prior to the end of communism, he would almost certainly have faced imprisonment.

A Vow Made Under Pressure

Many seasons after the political changes in Bulgaria – on the historic evening – Marin's unique aspiration moved nearer to fulfillment. Tuning in from home from his humble abode in Svishtov and with United trailing, Marin made a promise to himself: if United somehow turned the game around, he would go to any lengths to legally adopt the name that of the club he loved. Then, the impossible happened.

Marin fulfils his dream of visiting Old Trafford.

The Long Legal Battle

The next day, Marin sought legal counsel to express his unusual request, thus beginning a long, hard battle. The parent who inspired him, from whom he had gained his fandom, was deceased, and the man in his thirties was residing with his mom, taking on various types of work, including as a builder on £15 a day. He was barely getting by, yet his dream became an obsession. He quickly turned into the local celebrity, then became an international sensation, but 15 years full of judicial disputes and disheartening court decisions were to come.

Copyright Hurdles and Partial Victories

The application was rejected initially for copyright reasons: he could not change his name of a internationally recognized entity. Then a local judge allowed a compromise, saying Marin could change his first name to the city name but that he was prohibited from using United as his official surname. “Yet my aim is to be named after a city in Britain, I want to bear the identity of my cherished club,” Marin informed the judge. The struggle continued.

His Beloved Cats

Outside of legal proceedings, he was often looking after his cats. He had plenty of them in his back yard in Svishtov and held them in the same esteem as the Manchester United. He named them all after team stars: including Ferdinand and Rooney, they were the celebrity pets in town. Which was the favourite cat of the name they used? The feline known as Beckham.

He was often seen in full club regalia.

Advances and Ethics

Another victory was secured in court: he was granted the right to append United as an official nickname on his ID card. But still he wasn’t happy. “I won’t stop until my full name is as I desire,” he declared. His story soon led to business offers – an offer to have fan merchandise produced under his new name – but despite his financial struggles, he turned down the offer because he was unwilling to gain financially from his favourite club. The club's identity was sacred to him.

Dreams Realized and Lasting Tributes

A documentary followed in 2011. The crew made his aspiration come true of experiencing the Theatre of Dreams and there he even encountered Dimitar Berbatov, the Bulgaria striker on the team's roster at the time.

Permanently marked the club badge on his brow at a later date as a protest against the court decisions and in his last few years it became increasingly hard for him to keep up the struggle. Work was limited and he suffered the death of his mother to Covid-19. But somehow, he found a way. Originally of Catholic faith, he was christened in an orthodox church under the name his desired full name. “At least God will know me with my true identity,” he used to say.

This Monday, 13 October, his life came to an end. Maybe at last the club's restless soul could achieve eternal tranquility.