Greece ‘will wear black armbands in their clash against England in tribute to George Baldock’ after former national team player was found dead aged 31 in a pool at his home
Greece have confirmed they will wear black armbands against England in tribute to George Baldock after he was found dead in a swimming pool at his home.
The defender was discovered after his wife in England could not get hold of him for hours, local newspapers reported.
The 31-year-old has made more than 400 appearances in English football and spent seven years with the Blades, gaining promotion to the Premier League twice, before joining Greek side Panathinaikos this summer.
Despite being born in Buckinghamshire, he played 12 times for Greece – qualifying through his grandmother’s nationality – and now the Hellenic Football Association has paid tribute to Baldock ahead of their clash with England on Thursday.
According to I Avgithe national team will wear armbands and observe a minute’s silence at Wembley when they take on Ireland on Sunday afternoon.
Former Sheffield United defender George Baldock has reportedly died in Greece aged 31
The scene where former Sheffield United defender George Baldock was found dead in his swimming pool in Athens, Greece
Baldock lived in this building in the Greek capital after moving to club giant Panathinaikos
The Greek Football Association and his newest club Panathinaikos have both paid tribute to the defender
In a statement, the Hellenic Football Federation said: ‘It is with deep sadness and pain that the national team and the Hellenic Football Federation bid farewell to George Baldock.
“There are no words to describe the human pain caused by the news of the untimely loss of one of our young people. The moment calls for silence.
‘Condolences to his family. Condolences from his second family. Goodbye’.
Baldock missed Greece’s most recent squad after suffering an injury that prevented him from playing in the match in September.
He made his debut for Greece in a 1-0 win over Northern Ireland on 2 June 2022.
Meanwhile, Panathinaikos – the club Baldock joined in May – also paid tribute with a statement.
The former Sheffield United defender made just four appearances in all competitions for the Greek side before his tragic death.
“We are overwhelmed, we are shocked by the loss of our George. Panathinaikos’ family mourns his untimely death. We stand with the family and relatives of George Baldock,” they wrote.
Baldock’s wife reportedly tried to contact him for hours with no response, before contacting the owner of his villa in Glyfada, a suburb south of Athens.
Greece will face England in the Nations League on Thursday and Ireland on Sunday
Baldock was a mainstay of English football before he left, also making 12 appearances for Greece
Police guard the area outside the home of British-born Panathinaikos and Greek defender George Baldock, where he was found dead, in the Athens suburb of Glyfada
After searching the suburban property, they found Baldock in the communal swimming pool and called emergency services.
According to footage from the response unit, he was reportedly in the water for several hours before being found.
Baldock was a long-time mainstay of English football, making 219 appearances at Sheffield United alone.
He was promoted to the Premier League twice with the Yorkshire team.
A heartbroken Sheffield United paid tribute to their former player as they announced the news to their fans.
“Sheffield United Football Club is shocked and extremely saddened by the passing of former player George Baldock,” they posted on X.
‘The defender left the club in the summer after seven years at Bramall Lane and was hugely popular with supporters, staff and teammates who donned a red and white shirt alongside him.
“The sincere condolences from everyone involved with Sheffield United go out to George’s family and friends.”
Sheffield United paid tribute to their former player as they announced the news to their fans
After his wife was unable to contact him, the villa owner searched the property and found him in the pool
Northampton Town, where he played five games on loan, wrote on X: ‘We are deeply saddened by the passing of former loanee George Baldock at the tragically young age of 31.
“We send our sincere condolences to George’s family and friends.”
His boyhood club, MK Dons, said they were ‘devastated’ when they heard the news, in an emotional post saying he ‘will always be one of our own’.
They said: ‘We are deeply devastated and saddened by the shocking news from former Academy graduate and MK Dons player, George Baldock.
‘George started his career at Stadium MK where he worked his way through the youth ranks and made his senior career debut with the Club before reaching the heights of the Premier League in later years.
“Everyone associated with MK Dons shares a great love for George, Sam and the Baldock family, and we would like to share our sincere condolences at these terrible times.
Baldock says goodbye to fans ahead of the Premier League match between Sheffield United and Tottenham Hotspur at Bramall Lane
“You’ll always be one of us, George.”
Reacting to the news, the official English Football Report said they were ‘extremely saddened’.
They continued: “We are deeply saddened by the passing of George Baldock.
“George was close to many of our players and represented Greece, our opponents, on Thursday evening. We are thinking of George’s family, friends and teammates at club and country at this difficult time.”