I Am Called Man Utd: This Die-Hard Supporter Who Fought to Change His Legal Name
Inquire of any Manchester United fan from an earlier generation regarding the meaning of May 26th, 1999, and they will tell you that the date was life-altering. It was the moment when injury-time goals from Sheringham and Solskjær completed an incredible come-from-behind victory in the Champions League final against the German giants at the Camp Nou. That same night, the existence of one United fan in Eastern Europe, who recently died at the 62 years old, took a new direction.
Hopes in a Bygone Era
The fan in question was originally called Marin Levidzhov in Svishtov, a place with a population of 22,000. Living in a socialist state with a passion for football, he aspired to adopting a new name to… the Red Devils. But, to take the name of a sports team from the other side of the Iron Curtain was an unattainable goal. If he had attempted to do so during the socialist era, he would likely have faced imprisonment.
A Promise Forged in Drama
A decade after the political changes in Bulgaria – on that night in May 1999 – Marin's personal goal edged closer to reality. Watching the final from his humble abode in Svishtov and with his team losing, Marin swore an oath to himself: in the event of a reversal, he would go to any lengths to legally adopt the name that of the club he loved. Then, a miracle occurred.
Marin fulfils his dream of visiting Old Trafford.
The Long Legal Battle
The following morning, Marin sought legal counsel to state his extraordinary desire, thus initiating a difficult fight. Marin’s father, from whom he had learned to support the club, was deceased, and the 36-year-old was living with his mother, taking on various types of work, including as a construction worker on a meager daily wage. He was hardly making ends meet, yet his aspiration grew into a mania. He rapidly evolved into the subject of gossip, then became an international sensation, but a decade and a half full of court cases and discouraging rulings lay ahead.
Copyright Hurdles and Partial Victories
Marin’s wish was turned down at first for intellectual property issues: he was not permitted to adopt the name of a world-famous brand. Then a local judge ruled partially in his favour, saying Marin could modify his forename to Manchester but that he was could not adopt the second part as his legal last name. “But I don’t want to be associated with just a place in the UK, I want to wear the name of my favourite football club,” Marin stated during proceedings. The struggle continued.
Companions in Adversity
Outside of legal proceedings, he was often looking after his cats. He had plenty of them in his garden in Svishtov and cherished them equally with the Red Devils. He gave each one a name after club legends: such as Vidic and others, they were the celebrity pets in town. The one he loved most of his close friends' nickname for him? The feline known as Beckham.
His attire consistently showed his allegiance.
Advances and Ethics
Marin managed another breakthrough in court: he was permitted to include the club name as an recognized alias on his personal papers. But this did not satisfy him. “My efforts will persist until my full name is Manchester United,” he vowed. His tale attracted business offers – a proposal to have supporters' goods branded with his legal name – but despite his financial struggles, he turned down the offer because he refused to make money from his favourite club. The team's title was sacred to him.
Dreams Realized and Lasting Tributes
A documentary followed in that year. The crew made his aspiration come true of visiting Old Trafford and there he even had the chance to see the Bulgarian striker, the Bulgaria striker on the team's roster at the time.
Permanently marked the team emblem on his face three years later as a protest against the judicial outcomes and in his final years it became ever tougher for him to keep up the struggle. Employment was hard to find and he lost his mother to the virus. But against the odds, he persevered. Originally of Catholic faith, he underwent baptism in an Eastern Orthodox church under the name his desired full name. “Ultimately, my true name is recognized with my chosen name,” he used to say.
On a recent Monday, his heart stopped beating. Perhaps now Manchester United’s restless soul could finally find peace.
