George Baldock Will Get Respect At Wembley As Greece Visits England

George Baldock passed away 24 hours before the England vs Greece match in the UEFA Nations League (Instagram/@fcpanathinaikos).

JAKARTA - The UEFA Nations League match between England and Greece at Wembley Stadium, Friday, October 11, 2024, early morning WIB, will be marked by respect for George Baldock.

Baldock is a British-born footballer who chose Greek citizenship. He has also packed 12 appearances for the Greek national team.

The player, who had just moved to Panathinaikos on May 29, 2024, died 24 hours before Britain vs Greece.

The Greek national team will wear black armbands in the match against England.

While the FA has not confirmed whether the England national team players will follow in the footsteps of Greece wearing black armbands. Of course, there will be a moment of silence before the match starts.

Baldock was born in Buckinghamshire, England, on March 9, 1993. He chose Greece because of the blood of his grandmother.

The full-back died tragically on Wednesday, October 9, 2024, local time at his villa located in Athens. He was found at around 10.30 pm in the pool.

Baldock's wife, who lives in England, sounded an alarm that day when she had trouble contacting him.

He then told the owner of the house in Glyfada, southern Athens, to check the property.

The police then came, but could not wake up Baldock at the scene. The police finally confirmed the player's death. Currently, the local police are still conducting further investigations.

"We can confirm that George has passed away. As a family, we are very surprised by this terrible loss," the family said in a statement reported by The Sun.

The Greek Football Federation (HFF) also offered condolences to the death of their 31-year-old star.

"With deep sadness and sorrow, the national team and the Greek Football Federation bid farewell to George Baldock."

"No words can describe human pain caused by news about the unexpected loss of one of our youth."

"This moment forced silence. Condolences to his family. Condolences from his second family," read a statement from the Greek Football Federation.

George Baldock spent seven seasons with Sheffield United before joining the Greek Super League club, Panathinaikos, this summer.

He appeared in a 0-0 draw on Sunday, October 6, 2024, against Rival Olympiacos.

Baldock graduated from the young MK team Dons and was loaned to Oxford United, Tamworth, and Northampton Town before making his name at Sheffield United.

He became a star for the Yorkshire team between 2017 and 2024. Baldock made 219 appearances and earned the nickname Furious George because of his aggressive and action-packed style.

Baldock helped Sheffield United two promotions to the Premier League, even finishing at the top in the 2019-2020 season.

However, Baldock did not enter the Greek national team for the international match of October 2024. He was also absent from the September 2024 match due to injury.

His joint Greek debut took place in the UEFA Nations League in June 2022 as a substitute against Northern Ireland.

A year later, Baldock somehow managed to keep Kylian Mbappe quiet for 104 minutes despite playing with inconceivable pain on his ankle.

Baldock chose Greece because he had a great opportunity to play in the midst of the accumulation of England's right-back sectors containing famous names such as Kyle Walker, Kieran Trippier, Reece James, and Trent Alexander-Arnold.