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Ask any Manchester United devotee of a certain age concerning the meaning of May 26th, 1999, and the answer will be that the night was life-altering. It was the night when injury-time goals from Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjær completed an unbelievable come-from-behind victory in the Champions League final against Bayern Munich at the famous Barcelona stadium. That same night, the life of one loyal follower in Bulgaria, who passed away at the 62 years old, changed forever.

Aspirations Under Communism

That supporter was originally called Marin Levidzhov in a small Danube town, a community with a population of 22,000. Being raised in communist Bulgaria with a passion for football, he aspired to changing his name to… the Red Devils. However, to claim the name of a sports team from the Western world was an unattainable goal. Any effort to do so before the fall of the regime, he would almost certainly have been arrested.

A Commitment Sealed by Fate

A decade after the end of communism in Bulgaria – on that night in May 1999 – Marin's unique aspiration edged closer to achievement. Watching the final from his modest home in Svishtov and with United trailing, Marin vowed to himself: should his team mount a comeback, he would do anything to become known as that of the club he loved. Then, a miracle occurred.

Marin fulfils his dream of visiting Old Trafford.

The Long Legal Battle

The next day, Marin visited a lawyer to state his extraordinary desire, thus starting a grueling process. His dad, from whom he had inherited his love of United, was long gone, and the 36-year-old was residing with his mom, employed in miscellaneous roles, including as a builder on a meager daily wage. He was hardly making ends meet, yet his dream became an obsession. He soon became the talk of the town, then became an international sensation, but a decade and a half full of legal battles and disheartening court decisions were to come.

Trademark Issues and Limited Success

Marin’s wish was rejected initially for trademark concerns: he was barred from using the title of a internationally recognized entity. Then a local judge ruled partially in his favour, saying Marin could change his first name to the city name but that he was prohibited from using United as his legal last name. “Yet my aim is to be named after a city in the UK, I want to wear the name of my beloved team,” Marin stated during proceedings. His fight went on.

His Beloved Cats

When not in court, he was often looking after his cats. He had plenty of them in his garden in Svishtov and cherished them equally with the Red Devils. He gave each one a name after club legends: such as Vidic and others, they were the celebrity pets in town. Who was his preferred pet of his close friends' nickname for him? The feline known as Beckham.

He was often seen in full club regalia.

Progress and Integrity

He achieved a further success in court: he was allowed to add the club name as an official nickname on his ID card. But he remained dissatisfied. “I won’t stop until my complete identity is the club's title,” he promised. His story soon led to financial opportunities – an offer to have fan merchandise made using his identity – but although he was in need, he rejected the opportunity because he refused to make money from his favourite club. The club's identity was sacred to him.

Aspirations Fulfilled and Final Acts

His story was captured in 2011. The filmmakers made his aspiration come true of visiting Old Trafford and there he even encountered Dimitar Berbatov, the Bulgaria striker on the team's roster at the time.

He inked the United crest on his face subsequently as a protest against the court decisions and in his final years it became more and more difficult for him to persist with his fight. Work was limited and he suffered the death of his mother to the virus. But somehow, he found a way. By birth a Catholic, he got baptised in an orthodox church under the name Manchester United Zdravkov Levidzhov. “Ultimately, my true name is recognized with my true identity,” he often stated.

On a recent Monday, his time ran out. Perhaps now the club's restless soul could finally find peace.