GREECE ace Lazaros Rota paid a touching tribute to his late great team-mate George Baldock after a famous victory over England.
Baldock was found dead in his home in Glyfada on Wednesday night when he drowned in his swimming pool at the age of 31 plunging the football community into mourning.
A devastated Greek national team found the strength to put on a heroic performance and snatch an emotional 2-1 win in London, which they dedicated to their team-mate and his family.
Benfica star Vangelis Pavlidis commemorated the Sheffield United legend by raising his black armband in the air and pointing to the heavens after scoring both of his goals.
And after the match Ivan Jovanovic’s men lined up in front of the away end with Baldock‘s jersey in an emotional scene that led to many breaking down in tears.
That was when right-back Rota, 27, who played behind Baldock in Greece’s pecking order, pointed at the ITV camera and dedicated the win to the man that had been starting ahead of him all this time.
The AEK Athens ace cried: “Georgie, for you.”
This was Greece’s first ever win over England and the team became the first ever Greek side to win at Wembley.
That was after the visitors’ captain Tasos Bakasetas issued a spine-tingling pre-match speech urging his team-mates to “sacrifice” themselves on the pitch for Baldock.
The full-back was so passionate that he often risked his physical well-being on the pitch, such as against France last year in Paris where he played with a swollen ankle and still silenced Kylian Mbappe.
The Premier League and EFL hero also started for Greece at Georgia in March while hurt in the EURO 2024 qualifying round’s play-off final.
There were no celebrations from the Greek national team, who were still overwhelmed by the horrific news, after the game.
Instead, Bakasetas and Pavlidis opted to use that time to reflect on their friend and his family.
Dominating Mbappe, Premier League Iron Man, promotion hero: A tribute to George Baldock
By Kostas Lianos, Digital Sports Reporter
IT was back in 2019 when Greece legend Vasilis Torosidis – the heir to Euro 2004 hero Giourkas Seitaridis – retired from international duty after 101 caps.
A giant void was left behind at right-back, many talented players tried to step up – and none of them could fill those big boots.
But, soon enough, I started to hear whispers about a Premier League ace with Greek heritage who’s a starter week-in and week-out…
That was none other than George Baldock, born in Buckingham on March 9, 1993, to English parents but qualified for Greece through his grandmother.
And what a season he was having. The right-back starred for Sheffield United as they surprised the Prem in the 2019-20 campaign – their first in 12 years – by finishing in the top half of the table.
Baldock was among their standout players as he registered a staggering 3,420 minutes played – the joint highest along with the likes of Declan Rice and Virgil van Dijk.
The defender was keen to make the big step to the international stage with his grandmother’s homeland – and it didn’t take long until he shook hands with the Greek football federation (EPO) chiefs.
However, a long and arduous paperwork slog stood in the way – with the then Sheffield United star claiming Covid-19 and Brexit slowed things down.
Greece finally got the right-back they were begging for for years as Baldock made his debut on June 2, 2022 in a Nations League clash at Northern Ireland as a late substitute.
It didn’t take long until the English-born ace owned the right flank at the back and impressive performances followed.
Perhaps none compare to the Euro 2024 qualifier against France in June 2023 when Baldock did the unthinkable and kept Kylian Mbappe quiet for 104 MINUTES, despite being injured and playing through “unimaginable” pain.
I still remember speaking to then-Greece manager Gus Poyet about his player’s stunning performance, and I will never forget the big smile the Chelsea legend had on his face.
Poyet reminded me of a proud father as he took me through the injury hell the full-back endured before squaring up against perhaps the world’s best player for his country.
A beaming Poyet told me: “Against the Republic of Ireland [three days beforehand] – and now that it is finished I can say it – after 20 minutes he had a very bad twist in his ankle, very bad. He was very close to come out. I asked him, ‘Can you hold until half-time?’
“At half-time his ankle was very, very swollen. He asked for a strapping and he asked me for five minutes. Give me five minutes and we’ll let you know. And he had an unbelievable second half running up and down and being outstanding.
“You don’t imagine the ankle after the game. You don’t imagine the ankle the day after, after the flight to France. Black and blue – swollen. And a day-and-a-half later you need to play against Mbappe.
“Ninety per cent of people will think, no chance. And I keep talking to him, individually. And he keeps saying to me, ‘Coach I’m gonna be there no worries’.
“And he didn’t play 20 minutes, he didn’t play 60 minutes, he played 104 minutes because the referee gave 14 minutes of injury time against Mbappe.”
It’s easy to understand how loyal Baldock was to every team he ever played for during his 15-year career, just by looking at his stats.
The Greek ace started his career at MK Dons in 2009 where he amassed a staggering 125 appearances throughout an eight-year stint that also saw him playing on loan for Northampton Town, Tamworth, IBV and Oxford United.
The defender joined Sheffield United in 2017 and registered a whopping 219 appearances in seven years that also saw him helping his team achieve two Premier League promotions.
Baldock’s work ethic and commitment was no different in Greece as he proudly stated two years ago: “To play for the national side is a great honour and a lot of pride involved for me and my family.
“Representing my country through my late grandmother, it’s a very proud moment for me and my family. I love the country and I will fight for every success”
Baldock never played for England at any level, but he always competed like a lion and he proved it on Sunday in his last ever match when he started for Panathinaikos, whom he joined in the summer, against eternal rivals Olympiacos in perhaps the most intense derby in Europe.
He served his team with honour as he helped them pick up a valuable point in a goalless draw against their in-form foes, who had just played their best game of the season with a 3-0 win over Braga in the Europa League a few days earlier.
He only managed 12 caps for Greece before his sudden and tragic death at the age of 31 on Wednesday in Athens.
But his fighting spirit and charisma at right-back with the white and blue, as well as his remarkable run in the Premier League and the Championship, show that he is leaving a legacy behind for many Greek and English fans to look up to.
