My Name Is Man Utd: The Superfan Who Struggled to Alter His Legal Name
Ask any United devotee who is older concerning the significance of that fateful day in May 1999, and they will tell you that the night left an indelible mark. It was the evening when injury-time goals from Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjær secured an unbelievable late turnaround in the showpiece event against Bayern Munich at the famous Barcelona stadium. It was also, the life of one loyal follower in Bulgaria, who passed away at the 62 years old, was transformed.
Aspirations Under Communism
This individual was originally called Marin Zdravkov Levidzhov in Svishtov, a settlement with a tight-knit community. Being raised in communist Bulgaria with a love of football, he longed to changing his name to… his beloved club. Yet, to take the name of a football club from the Western world was a futile endeavor. Any effort to do so prior to the end of communism, he would almost certainly have faced imprisonment.
A Commitment Sealed by Fate
A decade after the end of communism in Bulgaria – on the historic evening – Marin's personal goal moved nearer to fulfillment. Tuning in from home from his simple residence in Svishtov and with United trailing, Marin swore an oath to himself: if United somehow turned the game around, he would do anything to change his name 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 starting a grueling process. Marin’s father, from whom he had inherited his love of United, 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 struggling financially, yet his goal turned into a fixation. He quickly turned into the subject of gossip, then became an international sensation, but 15 years full of court cases and disheartening court decisions lay ahead.
Copyright Hurdles and Partial Victories
Marin’s wish was denied early on for copyright reasons: he could not change his name of a internationally recognized entity. Then a local judge ruled partially in his favour, saying Marin could modify his forename to the city name but that he was prohibited from using the second part as his legal last name. “But I don’t want to be named after a city in Britain, I want to carry the title of my cherished club,” Marin stated during proceedings. His fight went on.
A Life with Feline Friends
When not in court, he was often caring for his feline friends. He had plenty of them in his garden in Svishtov and held them in the same esteem as the Manchester United. He gave each one a name after United players: from Rio to Rooney, they were the most famous cats in town. The one he loved most of Man U? A kitty called Beckham.
He was often seen in full club regalia.
Breakthroughs and Principles
He achieved a further success in court: he was permitted to include United as an official nickname on his ID card. But he remained dissatisfied. “I will continue until my entire name is as I desire,” he vowed. His tale attracted commercial propositions – a proposal to have fan merchandise branded with his legal name – but despite his financial struggles, he declined the proposal because he was unwilling to gain financially from his adored institution. The Manchester United name was beyond commercial use.
Aspirations Fulfilled and Final Acts
A documentary followed in 2011. The filmmakers fulfilled his wish 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 three years later as a demonstration against the court decisions and in his closing chapter it became increasingly hard for him to continue his legal battle. Work was limited and he lost his mother to the pandemic. But somehow, he found a way. By birth a Catholic, he got baptised in an religious institution under the name Manchester United Zdravkov Levidzhov. “At least God will know me with my true identity,” he often stated.
This Monday, 13 October, his heart stopped beating. It is possible that Manchester United’s persistent fan could achieve eternal tranquility.