My Name Is MUFC: The Superfan Who Struggled to Change His Identity
Ask any Man United fan from an earlier generation concerning the importance of that fateful day in May 1999, and they will tell you that the night left an indelible mark. It was the night when dramatic late goals from Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjær sealed an stunning late turnaround in the showpiece event against Bayern Munich at the Camp Nou. It was also, the world of one United fan in Eastern Europe, who recently died at the 62 years old, changed forever.
Hopes in a Bygone Era
This individual was originally called Marin Zdravkov Levidzhov in his hometown, a place with a tight-knit community. Being raised in the former Eastern Bloc with a passion for football, he aspired to legally altering his identity to… the Red Devils. However, to take the name of a football club from the capitalist west was an unattainable goal. Had Marin tried to do so prior to the end of communism, he would almost certainly have ended up in jail.
A Vow Made Under Pressure
Many seasons after the political changes in Bulgaria – on the historic evening – Marin's unique aspiration moved nearer to fulfillment. Tuning in from home from his humble abode in Svishtov and with the score against them, Marin swore an oath to himself: if United somehow turned the game around, he would do anything to become known as that of the club he loved. Then, the impossible happened.
A lifelong wish to walk the halls of the famous stadium came true.
A Protracted Court Struggle
The next day, Marin sought legal counsel to present his unique case, thus starting a grueling process. The parent who inspired him, from whom he had inherited his love of United, was deceased, and the man in his thirties was residing with his mom, employed in miscellaneous roles, including as a construction worker on £15 a day. He was struggling financially, yet his goal turned into a fixation. He rapidly evolved into the talk of the town, then became an international sensation, but 15 years full of court cases and disheartening court decisions awaited him.
Trademark Issues and Limited Success
His request was rejected initially for intellectual property issues: he could not change his name of a trademark known around the globe. Then a presiding magistrate granted a limited approval, saying Marin could change his first name to Manchester but that he was could not adopt United as his family name. “However, I desire to be named after a city in the UK, I want to wear the name of my favourite football club,” Marin stated during proceedings. His fight went on.
A Life with Feline Friends
Outside of legal proceedings, 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 Manchester United. He named them all after team stars: including Ferdinand and Rooney, they were the celebrity pets in town. The one he loved most of his close friends' nickname for him? The feline known as Beckham.
Marin bedecked in United gear.
Breakthroughs and Principles
He achieved a further success in court: he was granted the right to append United as an recognized alias on his personal papers. But he remained dissatisfied. “I won’t stop until my full name is the club's title,” he vowed. His tale attracted business offers – a proposal to have supporters' goods produced under his new name – but even with his monetary challenges, he declined the proposal because he did not want to profit from his favourite club. The Manchester United name was sacred to him.
Dreams Realized and Lasting Tributes
A film was made in 2011. The crew made his aspiration come true of visiting Old Trafford and there he even met Dimitar Berbatov, the Bulgaria striker then at the club at the time.
Permanently marked the team emblem on his brow at a later date as a objection to the court decisions and in his closing chapter it became more and more difficult for him to persist with his fight. Employment was hard to find and he was bereaved to Covid-19. But against the odds, he persevered. By birth a Catholic, he got baptised in an orthodox church under the name his desired full name. “In the eyes of the divine, I am with my real name,” he would frequently remark.
Earlier this week, his time ran out. It is possible that the club's restless soul could at last be at rest.