I Go By Manchester United: The Superfan Who Struggled to Change His Legal Name
Ask any United supporter from an earlier generation about the importance of May 26th, 1999, and they will tell you that the night left an indelible mark. It was the moment when injury-time goals from Sheringham and Solskjær completed an stunning come-from-behind victory in the showpiece event against the German giants at the Camp Nou. That same night, the world of one United fan in Eastern Europe, who passed away at the 62 years old, changed forever.
A Dream Born in Communist Bulgaria
That supporter was given the name Marin Zdravkov Levidzhov in his hometown, a settlement with a tight-knit community. Being raised in a socialist state with a devotion to football, he dreamed of changing his name to… Manchester United. But, to claim the name of a sports team from the capitalist west was mission impossible. If he had attempted to do so prior to the end of communism, he would undoubtedly have been arrested.
A Promise Forged in Drama
A decade after the political changes in Bulgaria – on the unforgettable final – Marin's unique aspiration moved nearer to reality. Tuning in from home from his modest home in Svishtov and with United trailing, Marin made a promise to himself: if United somehow turned the game around, he would spare no effort to legally adopt the name that of the club he loved. Then, a miracle occurred.
He realized his ambition to see the Theatre of Dreams.
A Protracted Court Struggle
A day later, Marin sought legal counsel to express his unusual request, thus beginning a long, hard battle. His dad, from whom he had learned to support the club, was no longer alive, and the man in his thirties was residing with his mom, working all kinds of odd jobs, including as a construction worker on £15 a day. He was barely getting by, yet his aspiration grew into a mania. He soon became the local celebrity, then was featured globally, but many seasons full of court cases and discouraging rulings awaited him.
Trademark Issues and Limited Success
Marin’s wish was turned down at first for intellectual property issues: he was not permitted to adopt the name of a trademark known around the globe. Then a court official allowed a compromise, saying Marin could modify his forename to Manchester but that he was not to use the second part as his family name. “However, I desire to be named after a city in the UK, I want to carry the title of my favourite football club,” Marin informed the judge. The struggle continued.
Companions in Adversity
When not in court, he was often tending to his pets. He had plenty of them in his garden in Svishtov and cherished them equally with the Manchester United. He named them all after club legends: such as Vidic and others, they were the celebrity pets in town. Who was his preferred pet of his close friends' nickname for him? One named after David Beckham.
His attire consistently showed his allegiance.
Advances and Ethics
He achieved a further success in court: he was permitted to include the club name as an official nickname on his identification document. But he remained dissatisfied. “My efforts will persist until my entire name is as I desire,” he promised. His tale attracted commercial propositions – a proposal to have supporters' goods produced under his new name – but despite his financial struggles, he declined the proposal because he was unwilling to gain financially from his adored institution. The club's identity was inviolable.
Dreams Realized and Lasting Tributes
His story was captured in that year. The crew fulfilled his wish of seeing the iconic stadium and there he even encountered the Bulgarian striker, the forward playing for United at the time.
Permanently marked the United crest on his forehead at a later date as a protest against the legal rulings and in his final years it became increasingly hard for him to keep up the struggle. Job opportunities were scarce and he was bereaved to the pandemic. But he managed to continue. Originally of Catholic faith, he got baptised in an religious institution under the name the identity he sought. “At least God will know me with my chosen name,” he often stated.
This Monday, 13 October, his life came to an end. Perhaps now Manchester United’s persistent fan could at last be at rest.
