October 11 – It was the perfect tribute to a player who died tragically young. Greece beat England on Thursday for the first time in history and celebrated by holding up the No. 2 jersey of George Baldock, the Panathinaikos defender who was found dead in his Athens home the previous day at the age of 31.
Baldock, born in England but who qualified to represent Greece at international level through his grandmother, had played 12 internationals and there was a period of silence ahead of the game with players wearing black armbands.
It was the first defeat for England interim manager Lee Carsley after a bold team selection backfired in a 2-1 Nations League home setback.
Greece repeatedly picked off England and also had three goals disallowed. The brace that counted were both scored by Vangelis Pavlidis, the second in stoppage time after Jude Bellingham had equalized in the 87th minute.
“We gave everything for him,” Pavlidis said in a tribute to Baldock, who he described as a “special guy.”
Following the news of Baldock’s death, Greece’s Football Association reportedly asked UEFA about the possibility of postponing the fixture but were apparently told there was no available date.
Before kickoff, Greece’s players said in statement posted under a group picture with him on X: “It is impossible for us to believe that our beloved friend, and teammate, George, is no longer with us. Our pain is indescribable. Tonight we shall try and reach the strength of his soul, which was a shining example to all of us.”
UEFA paid its own tribute on social media while reports in Greece suggested Baldock, who also played in the Premier League for Sheffield United, “most likely” drowned in the pool of his seaside apartment in southern Athens
Police investigating the circumstances of his death said there was no suggestion of foul play “at least at this stage of the inquiry”.
In a statement, Baldock’s family added: “We can confirm that a post mortem examination has found that George tragically drowned whilst swimming in the pool at his home in Glyfada, Athens.”
It was unclear whether he was alone or if his death had been triggered by “sudden collapse”.
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