🔗 Share this article I Go By MUFC: The Superfan Who Battled to Alter His Identity Ask any Manchester United devotee who is older concerning the significance of 26 May 1999, and they will tell you that the night changed them forever. It was the night when dramatic late goals from Sheringham and Solskjær completed an unbelievable come-from-behind victory in the Champions League final against Bayern Munich at the Camp Nou. That same night, the world of one United fan in Eastern Europe, who passed away at the 62 years old, took a new direction. A Dream Born in Communist Bulgaria The fan in question was born Marin Levidzhov in Svishtov, a place with a tight-knit community. Growing up in the former Eastern Bloc with a love of football, he longed to changing his name to… the Red Devils. However, to claim the name of a organization from the capitalist west was mission impossible. Any effort to do so during the socialist era, he would undoubtedly have been arrested. A Commitment Sealed by Fate Ten years after the end of communism in Bulgaria – on the historic evening – Marin's unique aspiration came one step closer to fulfillment. Tuning in from home from his simple residence in Svishtov and with United trailing, Marin made a promise to himself: in the event of a reversal, he would spare no effort to become known as that of the object of his devotion. Then, the impossible happened. A lifelong wish to walk the halls of the famous stadium came true. Years of Judicial Challenges The following morning, Marin consulted an attorney to state his extraordinary desire, thus beginning a long, hard battle. Marin’s father, from whom he had learned to support the club, was no longer alive, and the man in his thirties was living with his mother, taking on various types of work, including as a builder on a meager daily wage. He was barely getting by, yet his dream became an obsession. He quickly turned into the local celebrity, then was featured globally, but a decade and a half full of judicial disputes and disheartening court decisions awaited him. Legal Obstacles and Small Wins Marin’s wish was denied early on for copyright reasons: he was barred from using the title of a trademark known around the globe. Then a court official allowed a compromise, saying Marin could alter his given name to the city name but that he was not to use the second part as his legal last name. “However, I desire to be named after a city in Britain, I want to wear the name of my cherished club,” Marin informed the judge. The struggle continued. Companions in Adversity When not in court, he was often looking after his cats. He had many animals in his outdoor space in Svishtov and loved them as much as the Red Devils. He gave each one a name after club legends: such as Vidic and others, they were the best-known felines in town. The one he loved most of the name they used? The feline known as Beckham. Marin bedecked in United gear. Advances and Ethics He achieved a further success in court: he was permitted to include United as an official nickname on his identification document. But still he wasn’t happy. “My efforts will persist until my entire name is Manchester United,” he promised. His story soon led to business offers – a proposal to have club products made using his identity – but although he was in need, he turned down the offer because he refused to make money from his adored institution. The team's title was inviolable. Aspirations Fulfilled and Final Acts His story was captured in 2011. The production team fulfilled his wish of seeing the iconic stadium and there he even met his compatriot, the forward on the team's roster at the time. Permanently marked the team emblem on his forehead three years later as a demonstration against the legal rulings and in his last few years it became increasingly hard for him to keep up the struggle. Job opportunities were scarce and he suffered the death of his mother to the virus. But somehow, he found a way. Born as a Catholic, he underwent baptism in an Eastern Orthodox church under the name the identity he sought. “Ultimately, my true name is recognized with my chosen name,” he used to say. On a recent Monday, his life came to an end. Perhaps now Manchester United’s restless soul could finally find peace.