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Pose the question to any Man United supporter who is older concerning the significance of that fateful day in May 1999, and they'll recount that the night left an indelible mark. It was the night when injury-time goals from Teddy Sheringham and Solskjær sealed an incredible come-from-behind victory in the European Cup final against the German giants at the Camp Nou. It was also, the existence of one United fan in Eastern Europe, who has died at the age of 62, was transformed.

Aspirations Under Communism

That supporter was given the name Marin Zdravkov Levidzhov in his hometown, a settlement with a population of 22,000. Being raised in a socialist state with a love of football, he dreamed of adopting a new name to… the Red Devils. But, to claim the name of a football club from the Western world was mission impossible. Any effort to do so before the fall of the regime, he would likely have ended up in jail.

A Promise Forged in Drama

Many seasons after the political changes in Bulgaria – on the unforgettable final – Marin's unique aspiration came one step closer to achievement. Viewing the match from his modest home in Svishtov and with United trailing, Marin swore an oath to himself: if United somehow turned the game around, he would go to any lengths to legally adopt the name that of the team he adored. Then, the impossible happened.

Marin fulfils his dream of visiting Old Trafford.

The Long Legal Battle

A day later, Marin visited a lawyer to state his extraordinary desire, thus initiating a difficult fight. Marin’s father, from whom he had learned to support the club, was deceased, and the man in his thirties was living with his mother, working all kinds of odd jobs, including as a builder on a meager daily wage. He was barely getting by, yet his dream became an obsession. He quickly turned into the talk of the town, then was featured globally, but many seasons full of legal battles and discouraging rulings were to come.

Trademark Issues and Limited Success

The application was rejected initially for copyright reasons: he was not permitted to adopt the name of a internationally recognized entity. Then a court official granted a limited approval, saying Marin could modify his forename to Manchester but that he was could not adopt the second part as his family name. “But I don’t want to be associated with just a place in the UK, I want to bear the identity of my favourite football club,” Marin stated during proceedings. His fight went on.

A Life with Feline Friends

When not in court, he was often tending to his pets. He had a large number in his garden in Svishtov and held them in the same esteem as the Manchester United. He christened them after club legends: such as Vidic and others, they were the celebrity pets in town. Who was his preferred pet of Man U? 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 recognized alias on his personal papers. But still he wasn’t happy. “My efforts will persist until my complete identity is the club's title,” he declared. His story soon led to business offers – an offer to have fan merchandise branded with his legal name – but although he was in need, he declined the proposal because he refused to make money from his beloved team. The team's title was inviolable.

Goals Achieved and Enduring Symbols

A documentary followed in 2011. The crew turned Marin’s dream of experiencing the Theatre of Dreams and there he even met his compatriot, the Bulgaria striker on the team's roster at the time.

Marin tattooed the United crest on his brow three years later as a protest against the judicial outcomes and in his final years it became ever tougher for him to continue his legal battle. Work was limited and he lost his mother to the pandemic. But somehow, he found a way. By birth a Catholic, he was christened in an Eastern Orthodox church under the name his desired full name. “In the eyes of the divine, I am with my chosen name,” he would frequently remark.

Earlier this week, his life came to an end. Maybe at last the club's restless soul could at last be at rest.