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Inquire of any Manchester United supporter who is older about the importance of that fateful day in May 1999, and the answer will be that the date changed them forever. It was the moment when injury-time goals from Teddy Sheringham and Solskjær sealed an unbelievable 2-1 comeback in the showpiece event against Bayern Munich at the famous Barcelona stadium. It was also, the world of one loyal follower in Eastern Europe, who passed away at the age of 62, was transformed.

Hopes in a Bygone Era

This individual was born Marin Levidzhov in Svishtov, a place with a population of 22,000. Growing up in a socialist state with a love of football, he longed to legally altering his identity to… the Red Devils. But, to claim the name of a football club from the other side of the Iron Curtain was a futile endeavor. Any effort to do so during the socialist era, he would likely have faced imprisonment.

A Vow Made Under Pressure

Ten years after the fall of the regime in Bulgaria – on the unforgettable final – Marin's unique aspiration came one step closer to reality. Watching the final from his modest home in Svishtov and with the score against them, Marin made a promise to himself: if United somehow turned the game around, he would spare no effort to change his name that of the team he adored. Then, a miracle occurred.

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

A Protracted Court Struggle

The next day, Marin visited a lawyer to present his unique case, thus initiating a difficult fight. The parent who inspired him, from whom he had inherited his love of United, was long gone, and the 36-year-old was residing with his mom, working all kinds of odd jobs, 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 discouraging rulings were to come.

Copyright Hurdles and Partial Victories

Marin’s wish was denied early on for intellectual property issues: he was not permitted to adopt the name of a world-famous brand. Then a court official ruled partially in his favour, saying Marin could change his first name to the city name but that he was prohibited from using United as his legal last name. “Yet my aim is to be identified with an urban area in England, I want to wear the name of my beloved team,” Marin stated during proceedings. The struggle continued.

Companions in Adversity

During breaks from litigation, he was often tending to his pets. He had many animals in his garden in Svishtov and cherished them equally with the Manchester United. He named them all after club legends: including Ferdinand and Rooney, they were the celebrity pets in town. The one he loved most of his close friends' nickname for him? The feline known as Beckham.

Marin bedecked in United gear.

Breakthroughs and Principles

Marin managed another breakthrough in court: he was allowed to add United as an official nickname on his identification document. But he remained dissatisfied. “My efforts will persist until my entire name is as I desire,” he vowed. His tale attracted business offers – a chance to have supporters' goods produced under his new name – but although he was in need, he declined the proposal because he refused to make money from his favourite club. The club's identity was inviolable.

Aspirations Fulfilled and Final Acts

A documentary followed in that year. The crew turned Marin’s dream of seeing the iconic stadium and there he even met his compatriot, the Bulgaria striker then at the club at the time.

Marin tattooed the United crest on his face three years later as a objection to the legal rulings and in his last few years it became ever tougher for him to keep up the struggle. Employment was hard to find and he lost his mother to Covid-19. But somehow, he found a way. Originally of Catholic faith, he underwent baptism in an orthodox church under the name the identity he sought. “In the eyes of the divine, I am with my true identity,” he often stated.

Earlier this week, his heart stopped beating. Maybe at last the club's restless soul could at last be at rest.