‘my Name Is Manchester United’: The Superfan Who Fought To Change His Identity

Ask immoderate Manchester United instrumentality of a definite property what 26 May 1999 intends to them, and they will show you nan day has marked them for life. It was nan nighttime injury-time goals from Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjær sealed United’s 2-1 comeback successful nan Champions League last against Bayern Munich astatine nan Camp Nou. It was besides nan nighttime nan life of 1 United instrumentality successful Bulgaria, who has died this week astatine nan property of 62, changed for ever.

That protagonist was calved Marin Zdravkov Levidzhov successful Svishtov, a municipality connected nan Danube pinch a organization of 22,000. Growing up successful communist Bulgaria adoring football, he dreamed of changing his sanction to … Manchester United. To declare nan sanction of a shot nine from nan capitalist west, however, was ngo impossible. Had Marin tried to do truthful earlier nan autumn of nan regime, he would almost surely person ended up successful jail.

Ten years aft nan extremity of communism successful Bulgaria – connected that nighttime successful May 1999 – Marin’s idiosyncratic dream edged person to reality. Watching nan last from his humble location successful Svishtov and pinch United trailing, Marin made a committedness to himself: if United someway turned nan crippled around, he would do thing to alteration his sanction to that of nan nine he loved. Then nan intolerable happened.

Marin fulfils his dream of visiting Old Trafford. Photograph: Family handout

The adjacent day, Marin visited a lawyer expressing his different petition and truthful began a long, difficult battle. Marin’s father, from whom he had inherited his emotion of United, was agelong gone and nan 36-year-old was surviving pinch his mother, moving each kinds of overseas jobs, including arsenic a building worker connected £15 a day. He was hardly making ends meet, yet his dream became an obsession. He quickly turned into nan talk of nan town, past became an world sensation, but 15 years afloat of ineligible battles and disheartening tribunal decisions laic ahead.

Marin’s wish was rejected initially for copyright reasons: he could not alteration his sanction to a trademark known astir nan globe. Then a section judge ruled partially successful his favour, saying Marin could alteration his first sanction to Manchester but that he was not to usage United arsenic his charismatic surname. “But I don’t want to beryllium named aft a metropolis successful England, I want to deterioration nan sanction of my favourite shot club,” Marin told nan court. The struggle continued.

When not successful court, he was often looking aft his cats. He had plentifulness of them successful his backmost gait successful Svishtov and loved them arsenic overmuch arsenic nan Red Devils. He named them each aft United players: from Rio to Rooney, they were nan astir celebrated cats successful town. Which was nan favourite feline of Man U (as his adjacent friends called him)? A kitty called Beckham.

Marin bedecked successful United gear. Photograph: Family handout

Marin managed different breakthrough successful court: he was allowed to adhd United arsenic an charismatic nickname to his ID card. But still he wasn’t happy. “I won’t extremity until my afloat sanction is Manchester United,” he vowed. His communicative soon led to commercialized propositions – an connection to person instrumentality merchandise produced nether his caller sanction – but contempt his financial struggles, he rejected nan opportunity because he did not want to profit from his favourite club. The Manchester United sanction was ineffable to him.

A documentary followed successful 2011. The unit turned Marin’s dream of visiting Old Trafford into reality and location he moreover met Dimitar Berbatov, nan Bulgaria striker playing for United astatine nan time.

Marin tattooed nan United crest connected his forehead 3 years later arsenic a protestation against nan tribunal decisions and successful his past fewer years it became much and much difficult for him to proceed his ineligible battle. Job opportunities were scarce and he mislaid his mother to Covid-19. But somehow, he recovered a way. Born arsenic a Catholic, he sewage baptised successful an orthodox religion nether nan sanction Manchester United Zdravkov Levidzhov. “At slightest God will cognize maine pinch my existent name,” he utilized to say.

This Monday, 13 October, his bosom stopped beating. Perhaps now Manchester United’s restless psyche could yet find peace.