I Go By MUFC: This Superfan Who Struggled to Alter His Legal Name
Inquire of any Manchester United devotee of a certain age concerning the significance of 26 May 1999, and they'll recount that the night changed them forever. It was the moment when injury-time goals from Sheringham and Solskjær completed an unbelievable come-from-behind victory in the showpiece event against the German giants at the famous Barcelona stadium. That same night, the life of one devoted supporter in Bulgaria, who has died at the age of 62, took a new direction.
A Dream Born in Communist Bulgaria
That supporter was given the name Marin Zdravkov Levidzhov in Svishtov, a settlement with a tight-knit community. Growing up in communist Bulgaria with a devotion to football, he longed to changing his name to… his beloved club. However, to take the name of a organization from the Western world was an unattainable goal. Any effort to do so during the socialist era, he would undoubtedly have been arrested.
A Commitment Sealed by Fate
A decade after the political changes in Bulgaria – on the historic evening – Marin's idiosyncratic dream edged closer to reality. Watching the final from his humble abode in Svishtov and with his team losing, Marin vowed to himself: if United somehow turned the game around, he would do anything to become known as that of the club he loved. Then, against all odds, it transpired.
He realized his ambition to see the Theatre of Dreams.
A Protracted Court Struggle
The next day, Marin sought legal counsel to present his unique case, thus initiating a difficult fight. The parent who inspired him, from whom he had learned to support the club, was long gone, and the man in his thirties was caring for his parent, employed in miscellaneous roles, including as a construction worker on £15 a day. He was barely getting by, yet his aspiration grew into a mania. He rapidly evolved into the subject of gossip, then became an international sensation, but many seasons full of judicial disputes and discouraging rulings were to come.
Copyright Hurdles and Partial Victories
The application was rejected initially for trademark concerns: he was not permitted to adopt the name of a world-famous brand. Then a local judge granted a limited approval, saying Marin could change his first name to the city name but that he was prohibited from using the second part as his legal last name. “However, I desire to be named after a city in Britain, I want to bear the identity of my cherished club,” Marin informed the judge. His fight went on.
His Beloved Cats
Outside of legal proceedings, he was often tending to his pets. He had many animals in his outdoor space in Svishtov and held them in the same esteem as the Manchester United. He christened them after club legends: including Ferdinand and Rooney, they were the celebrity pets in town. Which was the favourite cat of his close friends' nickname for him? The feline known as Beckham.
His attire consistently showed his allegiance.
Breakthroughs and Principles
Another victory was secured in court: he was permitted to include United as an recognized alias on his personal papers. But he remained dissatisfied. “I won’t stop until my full name is the club's title,” he promised. His tale attracted financial opportunities – a chance to have club products made using his identity – but despite his financial struggles, he turned down the offer because he did not want to profit from his adored institution. The club's identity was beyond commercial use.
Aspirations Fulfilled and Final Acts
His story was captured in that year. The crew made his aspiration come true of seeing the iconic stadium and there he even encountered Dimitar Berbatov, the Bulgaria striker playing for United at the time.
Marin tattooed the club badge on his brow three years later as a demonstration against the judicial outcomes and in his final years it became ever tougher for him to persist with his fight. Work was limited and he suffered the death of 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 his desired full name. “In the eyes of the divine, I am with my chosen name,” he would frequently remark.
This Monday, 13 October, his life came to an end. Perhaps now Manchester United’s restless soul could achieve eternal tranquility.
