Thursday, October 10, 2024 -The former Premier League defender, who was playing for Greek club Panathinaikos in Athens, was discovered on Wednesday night, October 9, after his wife back home in England could not reach him for several hours, local newspapers report.
The owner of his luxury property was reportedly contacted and apparently found
him unresponsive in the pool. The emergency services were called and arrived in
nine minutes, but he could not be revived.
Police reportedly tried cardiopulmonary
resuscitation on the 31-year-old former Premier League player but could not
revive him and medical emergency units confirmed his death at the scene, one
official told Reuters.
His family have said they are in
total 'shock' over his death.
Despite being born in England, George
played for Greece 12 times after qualifying to represent the country
through his grandmother.
'We can confirm that George has sadly passed
away. As a family, we are in shock at this terrible loss. We ask please that
the media respect our privacy at this time', his family said in a statement
late last night.
The former Sheffield United star
would have likely played for his country at Wembley against England tonight but
was currently injured.
Greece have asked UEFA for permission for
both teams to wear black armbands for the Nations League fixture at 7.45pm.
Mr Baldock was nicknamed 'Furious George' by Sheffield United fans who loved his uncompromising style and win-at-all-costs attitude.
Baldock joined Panathinaikos in the
summer after spending seven celebrated seasons with the Blades, where he was
dubbed 'Furious George', in the Premier League and Championship.
He started his career at MK Dons and played
in all of England's top five divisions.
He missed out on Greece's most recent
squad, which is due to play England in the Nations League at Wembley
on Thursday, after suffering an injury which ruled him out of games in
September.
Baldock's wife reportedly tried to contact
him for several hours without a response, before she got in touch with the
owner of his villa in Glyfada, a suburb south of Athens.
After searching the suburban property, they
found Baldock in the communal pool and called the emergency services.
He was reportedly in the water for several
hours before he was found, according to images seen by the response unit.
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 to learn of the passing of former player, George
Baldock,' they posted on X.
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