My Name Is MUFC: The Superfan Who Fought to Change His Name
Pose the question to any Manchester United supporter of a certain age regarding the significance of May 26th, 1999, and they will tell you that the night left an indelible mark. It was the night when dramatic late goals from Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjær sealed an stunning late turnaround in the showpiece event against the German giants at the famous Barcelona stadium. It was also, the world of one loyal follower in Bulgaria, who has died at the age of 62, changed forever.
A Dream Born in Communist Bulgaria
This individual was given the name Marin Levidzhov in a small Danube town, a community with a population of 22,000. Living in the former Eastern Bloc with a passion for football, he longed to legally altering his identity to… the Red Devils. Yet, to take the name of a football club from the capitalist west was mission impossible. Any effort to do so before the fall of the regime, he would almost certainly have faced imprisonment.
A Commitment Sealed by Fate
A decade after the end of communism in Bulgaria – on the historic evening – Marin's unique aspiration edged closer to fulfillment. Viewing the match from his humble abode in Svishtov and with his team losing, Marin vowed to himself: in the event of a reversal, he would go to any lengths to legally adopt the name that of the object of his devotion. Then, the impossible happened.
A lifelong wish to walk the halls of the famous stadium came true.
A Protracted Court Struggle
The next day, Marin visited a lawyer to present his unique case, thus beginning a long, hard battle. His dad, from whom he had inherited his love of United, was deceased, and the man in his thirties was caring for his parent, working all kinds of odd jobs, including as a laborer on minimal earnings. He was barely getting by, yet his goal turned into a fixation. He quickly turned into the local celebrity, then gained worldwide attention, but many seasons full of legal battles and disheartening court decisions were to come.
Copyright Hurdles and Partial Victories
The application was rejected initially for copyright reasons: he was barred from using the title of a internationally recognized entity. Then a presiding magistrate allowed a compromise, saying Marin could change his first name to the city name but that he was prohibited from using United as his legal last name. “But I don’t want to be associated with just a place in England, I want to carry the title of my beloved team,” Marin stated during proceedings. His fight went on.
A Life with Feline Friends
Outside of legal proceedings, he was often caring for his feline friends. He had plenty of them in his back yard in Svishtov and loved them as much as the Red Devils. He christened them after United players: including Ferdinand and Rooney, they were the celebrity pets in town. The one he loved most of the name they used? A kitty called 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. “I will continue until my full name is Manchester United,” he declared. His story soon led to financial opportunities – a chance to have club products branded with his legal name – but even with his monetary challenges, he turned down the offer because he did not want to profit from his favourite club. The Manchester United name was beyond commercial use.
Dreams Realized and Lasting Tributes
A documentary followed in 2011. The production team turned Marin’s dream of experiencing the Theatre of Dreams and there he even had the chance to see his compatriot, the national team player then at the club at the time.
Permanently marked the United crest on his forehead at a later date as a protest against the court decisions and in his final years it became increasingly hard for him to persist with his fight. Job opportunities were scarce and he lost his mother to Covid-19. But against the odds, he persevered. By birth a Catholic, he underwent baptism in an religious institution under the name his desired full name. “At least God will know me with my real name,” he would frequently remark.
This Monday, 13 October, his life came to an end. Maybe at last Manchester United’s persistent fan could achieve eternal tranquility.
