I Go By Man Utd: The Die-Hard Supporter Who Battled to Change His Identity
Pose the question to any United fan from an earlier generation regarding the meaning of that fateful day in May 1999, and they'll recount that the night left an indelible mark. It was the night when dramatic late goals from Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjær completed an unbelievable come-from-behind victory in the showpiece event against the German giants at the Camp Nou. It was also, the existence of one United fan in Eastern Europe, who passed away at the 62 years old, took a new direction.
Hopes in a Bygone Era
This individual was born Marin Levidzhov in his hometown, a settlement with a population of 22,000. Growing up in the former Eastern Bloc with a love of football, he longed to legally altering his identity to… Manchester United. Yet, 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 undoubtedly have ended up in jail.
A Commitment Sealed by Fate
Ten years after the end of communism in Bulgaria – on that night in May 1999 – Marin's idiosyncratic dream moved nearer to reality. Tuning in from home from his modest home in Svishtov and with the score against them, Marin vowed to himself: if United somehow turned the game around, he would go to any lengths to legally adopt the name that of the club he loved. Then, the impossible happened.
He realized his ambition to see the Theatre of Dreams.
Years of Judicial Challenges
The following morning, Marin sought legal counsel to present his unique case, thus initiating a difficult fight. Marin’s father, from whom he had learned to support the club, was no longer alive, and the man in his thirties was caring for his parent, working all kinds of odd jobs, including as a laborer on £15 a day. He was hardly making ends meet, yet his dream became an obsession. He soon became the subject of gossip, then became an international sensation, but 15 years full of legal battles and disheartening court decisions lay ahead.
Copyright Hurdles and Partial Victories
Marin’s wish was rejected initially for trademark concerns: he could not change his name of a world-famous brand. Then a court official ruled partially in his favour, saying Marin could alter his given name to Manchester but that he was could not adopt the second part as his family name. “However, I desire to be identified with an urban area in Britain, I want to bear the identity of my beloved team,” Marin told the court. The struggle continued.
His Beloved Cats
When not in court, he was often tending to his pets. He had a large number in his back yard in Svishtov and loved them as much as the his team. He christened them after United players: from Rio to Rooney, they were the most famous cats in town. The one he loved most of the name they used? One named after David Beckham.
Marin bedecked in United gear.
Progress and Integrity
Marin managed another breakthrough in court: he was permitted to include the club name as an legal alternative on his ID card. But this did not satisfy him. “I won’t stop until my full name is as I desire,” he vowed. His narrative resulted in commercial propositions – an offer to have fan merchandise branded with his legal name – but although he was in need, he turned down the offer because he refused to make money from his beloved team. The team's title was sacred to him.
Dreams Realized and Lasting Tributes
A documentary followed in 2011. The production team turned Marin’s dream of experiencing the Theatre of Dreams and there he even encountered Dimitar Berbatov, the forward on the team's roster at the time.
Marin tattooed the United crest on his face three years later as a objection to the court decisions 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 he managed to continue. Originally of Catholic faith, he got baptised in an religious institution 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 time ran out. Maybe at last Manchester United’s determined supporter could achieve eternal tranquility.
