I Am Called Man Utd: The Superfan Who Struggled to Alter His Name

Inquire of any Manchester United supporter from an earlier generation regarding the importance of that fateful day in May 1999, and the answer will be that the occasion changed them forever. It was the moment when last-minute strikes from Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjær completed an unbelievable late turnaround in the showpiece event against the German giants at the Camp Nou. That same night, the existence of one loyal follower in Eastern Europe, who passed away at the 62 years old, was transformed.

Aspirations Under Communism

This individual was given the name Marin Levidzhov in his hometown, a place with a population of 22,000. Being raised in communist Bulgaria with a devotion to football, he longed to legally altering his identity to… Manchester United. However, to adopt the name of a organization from the capitalist west was a futile endeavor. Any effort to do so prior to the end of communism, he would almost certainly have faced imprisonment.

A Promise Forged in Drama

Ten years after the fall of the regime in Bulgaria – on the unforgettable final – Marin's personal goal edged closer to reality. Watching the final from his humble abode in Svishtov and with the score against them, Marin vowed to himself: in the event of a reversal, he would go to any lengths to change his name that of the club he loved. Then, the impossible happened.

Marin fulfils his dream of visiting Old Trafford.

Years of Judicial Challenges

The next day, Marin consulted an attorney to express his unusual request, thus beginning a long, hard battle. His dad, from whom he had gained his fandom, was long gone, and the 36-year-old was living with his mother, taking on various types of work, including as a builder on £15 a day. He was barely getting by, yet his goal turned into a fixation. He quickly turned into the local celebrity, then gained worldwide attention, but 15 years full of court cases and setbacks in litigation were to come.

Legal Obstacles and Small Wins

Marin’s wish 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 alter his given name to Manchester but that he was not to use the second part as his legal last name. “But I don’t want to be identified with an urban area in Britain, I want to carry the title of my beloved team,” Marin stated during proceedings. The battle persisted.

A Life with Feline Friends

During breaks from litigation, he was often looking after his cats. He had plenty of them in his garden in Svishtov and loved them as much as the Red Devils. He gave each one a name after team stars: including Ferdinand and Rooney, they were the best-known felines in town. The one he loved most of his close friends' nickname for him? One named after David Beckham.

His attire consistently showed his allegiance.

Advances and Ethics

Another victory was secured in court: he was granted the right to append United as an official nickname on his identification document. But he remained dissatisfied. “I won’t stop until my complete identity is the club's title,” he declared. His narrative resulted in financial opportunities – an offer to have club products made using his identity – but despite his financial struggles, he rejected the opportunity because he did not want to profit from his favourite club. The club's identity was beyond commercial use.

Dreams Realized and Lasting Tributes

His story was captured in that year. The production team made his aspiration come true of visiting Old Trafford and there he even encountered the Bulgarian striker, the Bulgaria striker on the team's roster at the time.

He inked the United crest on his brow at a later date as a objection to the judicial outcomes and in his final years it became ever tougher for him to continue his legal battle. Employment was hard to find and he suffered the death of his mother to the pandemic. But he managed to continue. By birth a Catholic, he was christened in an orthodox church under the name the identity he sought. “In the eyes of the divine, I am with my real name,” he used to say.

Earlier this week, his heart stopped beating. Perhaps now the club's determined supporter could at last be at rest.