I Am Called MUFC: The Superfan Who Struggled to Alter His Identity

Ask any United supporter who is older regarding the importance of May 26th, 1999, and the answer will be that the night changed them forever. It was the evening when dramatic late goals from Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjær completed an stunning come-from-behind victory in the Champions League final against Bayern Munich at the Camp Nou. That same night, the life of one devoted supporter in Eastern Europe, who passed away at the age of 62, changed forever.

Hopes in a Bygone Era

That supporter was originally called Marin Zdravkov Levidzhov in a small Danube town, a settlement with a population of 22,000. Growing up in the former Eastern Bloc with a love of football, he aspired to changing his name to… his beloved club. Yet, to adopt the name of a sports team from the capitalist west was mission impossible. Any effort to do so prior to the end of communism, he would likely have faced imprisonment.

A Promise Forged in Drama

Ten years after the political changes in Bulgaria – on the unforgettable final – Marin's idiosyncratic dream moved nearer to fulfillment. Viewing the match from his humble abode in Svishtov and with the score against them, Marin vowed to himself: should his team mount a comeback, he would do anything to become known as that of the club he loved. Then, the impossible happened.

Marin fulfils his dream of visiting Old Trafford.

A Protracted Court Struggle

The following morning, Marin consulted an attorney to state his extraordinary desire, thus starting a grueling process. The parent who inspired him, from whom he had gained his fandom, was long gone, and the man in his thirties was living with his mother, working all kinds of odd jobs, including as a builder on £15 a day. He was struggling financially, yet his aspiration grew into a mania. He rapidly evolved into the local celebrity, then became an international sensation, but many seasons full of court cases and setbacks in litigation awaited him.

Legal Obstacles and Small Wins

The application was denied early on for trademark concerns: he was not permitted to adopt the name of a world-famous brand. Then a local judge ruled partially in his favour, saying Marin could alter his given name to the city name but that he was prohibited from using the second part as his official surname. “But I don’t want to be associated with just a place in England, I want to bear the identity of my cherished club,” Marin told the court. The struggle continued.

Companions in Adversity

During breaks from litigation, he was often tending to his pets. He had plenty of them in his garden in Svishtov and loved them as much as the Manchester United. He christened them after club legends: such as Vidic and others, they were the best-known felines 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.

Breakthroughs and Principles

Another victory was secured in court: he was permitted to include the club name as an official nickname on his ID card. But still he wasn’t happy. “I will continue until my complete identity is as I desire,” he declared. His narrative resulted in commercial propositions – an offer to have supporters' goods produced under his new name – but despite his financial struggles, he declined the proposal because he refused to make money from his beloved team. The Manchester United name was sacred to him.

Dreams Realized and Lasting Tributes

A documentary followed in that year. The filmmakers made his aspiration come true of visiting Old Trafford and there he even encountered Dimitar Berbatov, the national team player on the team's roster at the time.

Marin tattooed the team emblem on his forehead three years later as a objection to the court decisions and in his closing chapter it became increasingly hard for him to keep up the struggle. Work was limited and he lost his mother to the virus. But somehow, he found a way. Born as a Catholic, he was christened in an religious institution under the name Manchester United Zdravkov Levidzhov. “At least God will know me with my true identity,” he would frequently remark.

Earlier this week, his life came to an end. It is possible that Manchester United’s persistent fan could achieve eternal tranquility.