Former Sheffield United defender George Baldock was reportedly found dead in his swimming pool in Greece on Wednesday.
The 31-year-old joined Panathinaikos this summer after spending seven seasons with the Blades in the Premier League and Championship.
Baldock, who was capped 12 times by Greece for having a Greek grandfather, started his career at MK Dons and played in all of England’s top five divisions. He also spent time playing with IBV in Iceland.
His death was initially reported by Greek media, among others Sports24 And SDNA.
Baldock’s wife reportedly tried to contact him and, after several hours without response, contacted the owner of the villa he lived in in Glyfada, a suburb south of Athens.
Former Sheffield United defender George Baldock has reportedly died in Greece aged 31
The footballer moved to Greek club Panathinaikos this summer and was found dead in his swimming pool on Wednesday evening
Baldock was a mainstay of English football before he left, also making 12 appearances for Greece
After searching the property in the suburb, they found Baldock in the swimming pool and called emergency services.
A response unit doctor confirmed Baldock had died.
Images seen by the response unit reportedly suggested he had died several hours before he was found. His exact cause of death will be determined by a post-mortem examination.
Baldock was a long-time mainstay of English football, making 219 appearances at Sheffield United alone.
He was promoted to the Premier League twice with the Yorkshire team.
At Bramall Lane he was nicknamed ‘Furious George’ due to his combative, aggressive style on the pitch.
“Since I joined this club, I quickly realized that the stronger the opposition, the more you had to find a way to gain an advantage over your opponent,” he once told the club. Sheffield star.
‘To be honest, I really like it. Besides, I just love winning. I hate losing and I even hate drawing.
Baldock, 31, started a new life in Greece with his wife before he passed away
The defender was nicknamed ‘Furious George’ because of his aggressive style
After his wife was unable to contact him, the villa owner searched the property and found him in the pool
Even when we play pool in the recreation room during practice, that competitive streak comes through.
“The only problem is that I’m not very good at pocketing balls instead of kicking them.”
Baldock had played just four games for Panathinaikos, including one in the Europa League – a new adventure for a player whose experiences had been largely limited to domestic football.
More to follow.
