I Go By MUFC: The Die-Hard Supporter Who Struggled to Alter His Identity

Ask any Man United fan of a certain age regarding the importance of May 26th, 1999, and they'll recount that the date changed them forever. It was the night when injury-time goals from Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjær completed an incredible 2-1 comeback in the showpiece event against the German giants at the famous Barcelona stadium. That same night, the existence of one United fan in Eastern Europe, who has died at the 62 years old, took a new direction.

Aspirations Under Communism

The fan in question was born Marin Levidzhov in Svishtov, a community with a tight-knit community. Growing up in the former Eastern Bloc with a passion for football, he dreamed of adopting a new name to… the Red Devils. However, to take the name of a football club from the other side of the Iron Curtain was a futile endeavor. If he had attempted to do so prior to the end of communism, he would undoubtedly have been arrested.

A Promise Forged in Drama

Many seasons after the fall of the regime in Bulgaria – on the unforgettable final – Marin's unique aspiration came one step closer to fulfillment. Watching the final from his simple residence in Svishtov and with his team losing, Marin made a promise to himself: in the event of a reversal, he would do anything to change his name that of the club he loved. Then, a miracle occurred.

Marin fulfils his dream of visiting Old Trafford.

Years of Judicial Challenges

A day later, Marin sought legal counsel to state his extraordinary desire, thus starting a grueling process. Marin’s father, from whom he had learned to support the club, was no longer alive, and the man in his thirties was living with his mother, employed in miscellaneous roles, including as a builder on £15 a day. He was hardly making ends meet, yet his aspiration grew into a mania. He rapidly evolved into the subject of gossip, then was featured globally, but many seasons full of legal battles and disheartening court decisions awaited him.

Legal Obstacles and Small Wins

His request was denied early on for intellectual property issues: he could not change his name of a trademark known around the globe. Then a local judge granted a limited approval, saying Marin could change his first name to Manchester but that he was prohibited from using the second part as his legal last name. “But I don’t want to be associated with just a place in the UK, I want to bear the identity of my favourite football club,” Marin informed the judge. The battle persisted.

A Life with Feline Friends

Outside of legal proceedings, he was often caring for his feline friends. He had many animals in his outdoor space in Svishtov and cherished them equally with the his team. He named them all after club legends: from Rio to Rooney, they were the most famous cats in town. Which was the favourite cat of the name they used? One named after David Beckham.

His attire consistently showed his allegiance.

Advances and Ethics

Marin managed another breakthrough in court: he was granted the right to append the club name as an legal alternative on his identification document. But he remained dissatisfied. “I won’t stop until my complete identity is the club's title,” he vowed. His narrative resulted in business offers – a proposal to have club products branded with his legal name – but even with his monetary challenges, he declined the proposal because he refused to make money from his favourite club. The Manchester United name was sacred to him.

Goals Achieved and Enduring Symbols

His story was captured in that year. The crew turned Marin’s dream of seeing the iconic stadium and there he even met his compatriot, the national team player then at the club at the time.

Permanently marked the United crest on his brow at a later date as a objection to the judicial outcomes and in his final years it became ever tougher for him to continue his legal battle. Employment was hard to find and he was bereaved to the pandemic. But against the odds, he persevered. By birth a Catholic, he got baptised in an religious institution under the name the identity he sought. “Ultimately, my true name is recognized with my real name,” he often stated.

This Monday, 13 October, his heart stopped beating. It is possible that Manchester United’s determined supporter could at last be at rest.