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Ask any Man United devotee of a certain age regarding the importance of May 26th, 1999, and they will tell you that the night was life-altering. It was the night when injury-time goals from Teddy Sheringham and Solskjær secured an incredible come-from-behind victory in the showpiece event against the German giants at the famous Barcelona stadium. That same night, the existence of one devoted supporter in Eastern Europe, who passed away at the age of 62, changed forever.

Aspirations Under Communism

The fan in question was originally called Marin Levidzhov in his hometown, a place with a tight-knit community. Being raised in a socialist state with a love of football, he longed to changing his name to… Manchester United. But, to take the name of a football club from the other side of the Iron Curtain was an unattainable goal. Had Marin tried to do so during the socialist era, he would undoubtedly have been arrested.

A Promise Forged in Drama

Ten years after the end of communism in Bulgaria – on that night in May 1999 – Marin's unique aspiration moved nearer to achievement. Watching the final from his modest home in Svishtov and with his team losing, Marin swore an oath to himself: in the event of a reversal, he would do anything to change his name that of the club he loved. Then, the impossible happened.

Marin fulfils his dream of visiting Old Trafford.

Years of Judicial Challenges

The following morning, Marin consulted an attorney to state his extraordinary desire, thus beginning a long, hard battle. His dad, from whom he had gained his fandom, was no longer alive, and the 36-year-old was living with his mother, taking on various types of work, including as a laborer on £15 a day. He was hardly making ends meet, yet his goal turned into a fixation. He quickly turned into the talk of the town, then became an international sensation, but a decade and a half full of legal battles and setbacks in litigation awaited him.

Copyright Hurdles and Partial Victories

Marin’s wish was denied early on for trademark concerns: 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 Manchester but that he was prohibited from using the second part as his legal last name. “Yet my aim is to be named after a city in the UK, I want to carry the title of my cherished club,” Marin informed the judge. The battle persisted.

Companions in Adversity

During breaks from litigation, he was often looking after his cats. He had many animals in his garden in Svishtov and loved them as much as the his team. He named them all after club legends: including Ferdinand and Rooney, they were the best-known felines in town. Which was the favourite cat of his close friends' nickname for him? The feline known as Beckham.

Marin bedecked in United gear.

Advances and Ethics

He achieved a further success in court: he was allowed to add United as an official nickname on his identification document. But this did not satisfy him. “My efforts will persist until my full name is Manchester United,” he vowed. His story soon led to commercial propositions – a proposal to have club products branded with his legal name – but although he was in need, he turned down the offer because he did not want to profit from his beloved team. The Manchester United name was inviolable.

Goals Achieved and Enduring Symbols

A film was made in 2011. The crew fulfilled his wish of visiting Old Trafford and there he even encountered the Bulgarian striker, the forward on the team's roster at the time.

Permanently marked the United crest on his forehead subsequently as a protest against the court decisions and in his final years it became ever tougher for him to keep up the struggle. Job opportunities were scarce and he suffered the death of his mother to the virus. But against the odds, he persevered. Originally of Catholic faith, he underwent baptism in an Eastern Orthodox church under the name Manchester United Zdravkov Levidzhov. “Ultimately, my true name is recognized with my chosen name,” he used to say.

This Monday, 13 October, his heart stopped beating. It is possible that the club's determined supporter could at last be at rest.