New Delhi: Former Sheffield United and Greece international George Baldock has died at the age of 31 after being found in his southern Athens house swimming pool on Wednesday. Police made attempts to revive Baldock at the scene, but it was already too late, and medical emergency services confirmed his death.
According to media reports, Baldock’s wife, who was abroad, contacted his resident owner after unsuccessfully attempting to contact the player on his phone. The owner of the house found him in the pool and alerted authorities. The Greek police have stated that though there is no suspected foul play, an official autopsy will take place soon and reveal all details.
Baldock had recently joined Greek football club Panathinaikos this May after a seven-year stint with Sheffield United, who were relegated last season from the Premier League to the Championship.
The family issued a statement confirming the sad news of Baldock’s passing, expressing their “shock at this terrible loss.” His club, Panathinaikos, issued a statement saying that the club was mourning the untimely loss of the right-back and that they were standing with Baldock’s family.
In his statement, his former club, Sheffield, expressed regret for Baldock’s loss and reminisced about his stay in the club, where he was a fan favourite and popular among support staff and teammates. He comes from a family of football lovers, with his brother Sam Baldock being an academy coach at Brighton and his other brother James Baldock being a club doctor for Oxford.
Sheffield United Football Club is shocked and extremely saddened to learn of the passing of former player, George Baldock.
The defender left the club in the summer after seven years at Bramall Lane and was extremely popular with supporters, staff and team-mates who pulled on a… pic.twitter.com/OlDsn0lFpB
— Sheffield United (@SheffieldUnited) October 9, 2024
Moving to the Super League Greece football, Baldock made four appearances for the Athens-based side Panathinaikos. He started in their goalless draw over Olympiakos on Sunday and played for 75 minutes. For Greece, the Buckingham-born player had made 12 appearances, being qualified to play for the nation through his grandmother’s lineage. Greece are supposed to face England for the Nations League, though Baldock wasn’t selected to feature in the game.
Tributes for an exceptional Player
Tributes have been pouring across the football world, with the Greek national team and Greek Football Federation issuing their homage, stating, “Bidding farewell to George Baldock.” The statement concluded with condolences to Baldock’s family from his “second family.”
The Greek football team members are in a state of shock and have requested UEFA to allow them to wear black armbands when they take the field against England on Thursday and hold a moment of silence before the start of the game.
His former club, MK Dons, as well as clubs where he was loaned, have paid moving tributes to the player, stating his amazing talent and his playing-for-the-team attitude. The English team, too, issued a statement showing support fo
We’re extremely saddened by the passing of George Baldock.
George was close to many of our players, and represented Greece – our opponents on Thursday night.
We’re thinking of George’s family, friends and team-mates at club and country at this difficult time. ❤️ https://t.co/agVypQ2eVK
— England (@England) October 9, 2024
George Baldock’s rise through the years
Baldock’s career started in 2009 with MK Dons and had featured in 104 games for the side. During his eight-year spell with the club, he had a few loan spells with Northampton and Oxford United before moving to Sheffield United in 2017. Two years into his spell with the Blades, the team was promoted to the Premier League. He was an important player on Chris Wilder’s side during their promotion. Though the side had initially done well in the top tier of football, they were relegated in 2021.
Baldock was again key to Sheffield securing an automatic promotion back to English football, and his form put him in the international spotlight. The then-Greece head coach, Gus Poyet, convinced him to play for his team. He debuted in a 1-0 win over Northern Ireland at Windsor Park in Belfast and went on to play 12 games.
The world of football mourns the loss of Greek footballer and former Sheffield United player George Baldock. Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
