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Inquire of any Manchester United devotee of a certain age regarding the importance of that fateful day in May 1999, and the answer will be that the date left an indelible mark. It was the moment when injury-time goals from Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjær sealed an incredible 2-1 comeback in the European Cup final against Bayern Munich at the Camp Nou. It was also, the existence of one United fan in Bulgaria, who recently died at the 62 years old, changed forever.

Aspirations Under Communism

The fan in question was originally called Marin Zdravkov Levidzhov in his hometown, a community with a modest number of residents. Being raised in a socialist state with a passion for football, he dreamed of adopting a new name to… Manchester United. But, to take the name of a football club from the capitalist west was an unattainable goal. Any effort to do so before the fall of the regime, he would undoubtedly have ended up in jail.

A Vow Made Under Pressure

Ten years after the end of communism in Bulgaria – on that night in May 1999 – Marin's idiosyncratic dream edged closer to reality. Watching the final from his simple residence in Svishtov and with his team losing, Marin swore an oath to himself: in the event of a reversal, 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 next day, Marin visited a lawyer to state his extraordinary desire, thus beginning a long, hard battle. Marin’s father, from whom he had learned to support the club, was deceased, and the 36-year-old was caring for his parent, employed in miscellaneous roles, including as a construction worker on minimal earnings. 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 many seasons full of legal battles and disheartening court decisions lay ahead.

Legal Obstacles and Small Wins

The application was turned down at first for copyright reasons: he was not permitted to adopt the name of a world-famous brand. Then a court official ruled partially in his favour, saying Marin could modify his forename to Manchester but that he was could not adopt the second part as his legal last name. “Yet my aim is to be associated with just a place in Britain, I want to carry the title of my cherished club,” Marin told the court. His fight went on.

His Beloved Cats

During breaks from litigation, he was often looking after his cats. He had a large number in his outdoor space in Svishtov and held them in the same esteem as the Red Devils. He named them all after team stars: from Rio to Rooney, they were the most famous cats in town. The one he loved most of his close friends' nickname for him? One named after David Beckham.

He was often seen in full club regalia.

Advances and Ethics

Another victory was secured in court: he was permitted to include the club name as an legal alternative on his identification document. But this did not satisfy him. “I will continue until my complete identity is Manchester United,” he vowed. His narrative resulted in commercial propositions – an offer to have supporters' goods branded with his legal name – but despite his financial struggles, he turned down the offer because he was unwilling to gain financially from his adored institution. The team's title was sacred to him.

Goals Achieved and Enduring Symbols

His story was captured in that year. The production team fulfilled his wish of visiting Old Trafford and there he even encountered Dimitar Berbatov, the forward then at the club at the time.

He inked the team emblem on his face at a later date as a demonstration against the judicial outcomes and in his last few years it became increasingly hard for him to persist with his fight. Employment was hard to find and he lost his mother to Covid-19. But he managed to continue. Born as a Catholic, he was christened in an orthodox church under the name his desired full name. “At least God will know me with my chosen name,” he would frequently remark.

Earlier this week, his time ran out. Maybe at last the club's persistent fan could at last be at rest.