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Ask any United devotee who is older about the significance of 26 May 1999, and they will tell you that the date was life-altering. It was the moment when injury-time goals from Teddy Sheringham and Solskjær sealed an incredible late turnaround in the European Cup final against the German giants at the famous Barcelona stadium. Simultaneously, the life of one loyal follower in Eastern Europe, who passed away at the age of 62, was transformed.

A Dream Born in Communist Bulgaria

This individual was given the name Marin Levidzhov in Svishtov, a place with a modest number of residents. Being raised in the former Eastern Bloc with a passion for football, he longed to legally altering his identity to… the Red Devils. Yet, to adopt the name of a organization from the capitalist west was a futile endeavor. If he had attempted to do so before the fall of the regime, he would likely have been arrested.

A Commitment Sealed by Fate

Ten years after the fall of the regime in Bulgaria – on that night in May 1999 – Marin's idiosyncratic dream came one step closer to reality. Tuning in from home from his simple residence in Svishtov and with United trailing, Marin made a promise to himself: if United somehow turned the game around, he would go to any lengths to legally adopt the name that of the object of his devotion. Then, a miracle occurred.

A lifelong wish to walk the halls of the famous stadium came true.

The Long Legal Battle

The following morning, Marin sought legal counsel to express his unusual request, thus initiating a difficult fight. His dad, from whom he had gained his fandom, was no longer alive, and the man in his thirties was caring for his parent, taking on various types of work, including as a builder on minimal earnings. He was struggling financially, yet his dream became an obsession. He rapidly evolved into the talk of the town, then was featured globally, but 15 years full of court cases and discouraging rulings lay ahead.

Copyright Hurdles and Partial Victories

Marin’s wish was denied early on for trademark concerns: 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 United as his legal last name. “Yet my aim is to be associated with just a place in Britain, I want to wear the name of my beloved team,” Marin stated during proceedings. The battle persisted.

Companions in Adversity

When not in court, he was often caring for his feline friends. He had many animals in his back yard in Svishtov and cherished them equally with the his team. He gave each one a name after United players: from Rio to Rooney, they were the celebrity pets in town. Who was his preferred pet of his close friends' nickname for him? The feline known as Beckham.

His attire consistently showed his allegiance.

Progress and Integrity

Another victory was secured in court: he was allowed to add United as an official nickname on his identification document. But still he wasn’t happy. “My efforts will persist until my entire name is as I desire,” he vowed. His tale attracted business offers – a proposal to have supporters' goods made using his identity – but although he was in need, he turned down the offer because he refused to make money from his beloved team. The team's title was inviolable.

Goals Achieved and Enduring Symbols

His story was captured in 2011. The crew turned Marin’s dream of experiencing the Theatre of Dreams and there he even had the chance to see his compatriot, the Bulgaria striker then at the club at the time.

Marin tattooed the United crest on his face three years later as a demonstration against the court decisions and in his closing chapter it became increasingly hard 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. Born as a Catholic, he was christened in an orthodox church under the name Manchester United Zdravkov Levidzhov. “Ultimately, my true name is recognized with my real name,” he would frequently remark.

This Monday, 13 October, his time ran out. Maybe at last the club's restless soul could at last be at rest.