Football – George Baldock, Greek international, found dead in his swimming pool

George Baldock, Greek international right back for Panathinaikos Athens, was found dead in his swimming pool on Wednesday, the official ANA agency announced. The lifeless body of the former Sheffield United player, aged 31, was found at his home in Glyfada, in the southern suburbs of Athens, according to the same source which gave no further details on the circumstances of the death .

“We can confirm that George has sadly passed away. Our family is in shock at this terrible loss. We ask the media to respect our privacy at this time.”his family said in a statement.

Born in England in Buckingham, Baldock held dual Greek and English nationality. He signed a three-year contract with Panathinaikos last May. Of Greek origin through one of his grandparents, he joined the Greek national team in 2022. He had twelve caps.

According to ANA, Baldock’s wife, who is abroad, alerted the owner of the residence after unsuccessfully trying to reach the player by telephone. Public broadcaster ERT reported that Baldock was “at the bottom of the pool” and that a bottle of vodka was found at the scene. An initial examination did not reveal signs of foul play, ERT said on Thursday, adding that the player had been dead for around five hours when he been found.

Before Panathinaikos, Baldock spent seven years at Sheffield United in England, who were relegated from the Premier League to the Championship last season. Baldock, who played in Sunday’s Greek league draw against Olympiakos, was not selected for Greece’s Nations League match against England at Wembley on Thursday due to an injury, according to ‘ERT.

Baldock was “one of us”declared the Greek federation, which requested that its players wear a black armband during the match. The English federation but also many clubs and players have also paid tribute to him, such as his former teammate in Sheffield, now at Manchester United, Harry Maguire.