I Go By Manchester United: This Superfan Who Fought to Change His Legal Name

Ask any Man United fan from an earlier generation regarding the significance of that fateful day in May 1999, and they will tell you that the occasion was life-altering. It was the evening when injury-time goals from Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjær secured an stunning 2-1 comeback in the showpiece event against Bayern Munich at the famous Barcelona stadium. It was also, the existence of one devoted supporter in Bulgaria, who recently died at the 62 years old, took a new direction.

Aspirations Under Communism

That supporter was born Marin Zdravkov Levidzhov in his hometown, a place with a tight-knit community. Living in a socialist state with a devotion to football, he aspired to changing his name to… his beloved club. Yet, to claim the name of a organization from the other side of the Iron Curtain was an unattainable goal. If he had attempted to do so before the fall of the regime, he would likely have faced imprisonment.

A Vow Made Under Pressure

A decade after the fall of the regime in Bulgaria – on the unforgettable final – Marin's unique aspiration moved nearer to achievement. Tuning in from home from his humble abode in Svishtov and with his team losing, Marin vowed to himself: should his team mount a comeback, he would go to any lengths to legally adopt the name that of the club he loved. Then, a miracle occurred.

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

Years of Judicial Challenges

The following morning, Marin sought legal counsel to state his extraordinary desire, 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 living with his mother, working all kinds of odd jobs, including as a laborer on minimal earnings. He was hardly making ends meet, yet his goal turned into a fixation. He rapidly evolved into the local celebrity, then gained worldwide attention, but many seasons full of court cases and discouraging rulings were to come.

Legal Obstacles and Small Wins

His request was denied early on for intellectual property issues: he was barred from using the title of a trademark known around the globe. Then a local judge allowed a compromise, saying Marin could change his first name to Manchester but that he was could not adopt the second part as his official surname. “But I don’t want to be associated with just a place in England, I want to carry the title of my favourite football club,” Marin informed the judge. The battle persisted.

A Life with Feline Friends

When not in court, he was often looking after his cats. He had plenty of them in his back yard in Svishtov and cherished them equally with the his team. He christened them after United players: including Ferdinand and Rooney, they were the best-known felines in town. The one he loved most of Man U? One named after David Beckham.

Marin bedecked in United gear.

Advances and Ethics

Another victory was secured in court: he was granted the right to append United as an official nickname on his personal papers. But he remained dissatisfied. “I will continue until my full name is the club's title,” he declared. His tale attracted commercial propositions – a chance to have club products branded with his legal name – but even with his monetary challenges, he turned down the offer because he refused to make money from his adored institution. The club's identity was inviolable.

Goals Achieved and Enduring Symbols

His story was captured in 2011. The filmmakers made his aspiration come true of experiencing the Theatre of Dreams and there he even encountered the Bulgarian striker, the national team player playing for United at the time.

Permanently marked the United crest on his face at a later date as a demonstration against the legal rulings and in his final years it became ever tougher for him to keep up the struggle. Employment was hard to find and he suffered the death of his mother to the virus. But somehow, he found a way. Originally of Catholic faith, he was christened in an Eastern Orthodox church under the name Manchester United Zdravkov Levidzhov. “In the eyes of the divine, I am with my chosen name,” he often stated.

This Monday, 13 October, his life came to an end. Maybe at last the club's determined supporter could finally find peace.