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Pose the question to any United fan who is older about the importance of May 26th, 1999, and the answer will be that the date changed them forever. It was the night when injury-time goals from Sheringham and Solskjær secured an unbelievable 2-1 comeback in the showpiece event against Bayern Munich at the Camp Nou. Simultaneously, the world of one devoted supporter in Eastern Europe, who has died at the 62 years old, was transformed.

A Dream Born in Communist Bulgaria

That supporter was born Marin Zdravkov Levidzhov in a small Danube town, a place with a tight-knit community. Being raised in the former Eastern Bloc with a passion for football, he longed to legally altering his identity to… Manchester United. However, to take the name of a football club from the Western world was an unattainable goal. Had Marin tried to do so before the fall of the regime, he would likely have been arrested.

A Vow Made Under Pressure

Many seasons after the fall of the regime in Bulgaria – on the historic evening – Marin's idiosyncratic dream came one step closer to reality. Viewing the match from his humble abode in Svishtov and with the score against them, Marin vowed to himself: if United somehow turned the game around, he would spare no effort to become known as that of the object of his devotion. Then, the impossible happened.

He realized his ambition to see the Theatre of Dreams.

The Long Legal Battle

The next day, Marin consulted an attorney to present his unique case, thus beginning a long, hard battle. Marin’s father, from whom he had gained his fandom, was deceased, and the 36-year-old was caring for his parent, taking on various types of work, including as a construction worker on a meager daily wage. He was barely getting by, yet his aspiration grew into a mania. He rapidly evolved into the talk of the town, then became an international sensation, but many seasons full of court cases and discouraging rulings lay ahead.

Trademark Issues and Limited Success

His request was rejected initially for intellectual property issues: he was not permitted to adopt the name of a internationally recognized entity. Then a court official allowed a compromise, saying Marin could modify his forename to the city name 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 England, I want to carry the title of my beloved team,” Marin stated during proceedings. The struggle continued.

His Beloved Cats

When not in court, he was often tending to his pets. He had plenty of them in his garden in Svishtov and held them in the same esteem as the Red Devils. He gave each one a name after club legends: including Ferdinand and Rooney, they were the best-known felines in town. The one he loved most of the name they used? The feline known as Beckham.

Marin bedecked in United gear.

Breakthroughs and Principles

Marin managed another breakthrough in court: he was permitted to include United as an recognized alias on his personal papers. But this did not satisfy him. “My efforts will persist until my full name is as I desire,” he declared. His tale attracted commercial propositions – a chance to have fan merchandise branded with his legal name – but despite his financial struggles, he rejected the opportunity because he did not want to profit from his adored institution. The club's identity was sacred to him.

Goals Achieved and Enduring Symbols

A film was made in that year. The production team turned Marin’s dream of seeing the iconic stadium and there he even met the Bulgarian striker, the national team player on the team's roster at the time.

Marin tattooed the club badge on his brow at a later date as a objection to 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 against the odds, he persevered. Born as a Catholic, he was christened in an Eastern Orthodox church under the name the identity he sought. “At least God will know me with my real name,” he used to say.

This Monday, 13 October, his heart stopped beating. Perhaps now the club's restless soul could at last be at rest.