George Baldock, Former Sheffield United's Defender, Dies at 31, Body Found in Pool

British-born defender George Baldock was found dead at his house in Glyfada, a suburb south of Athens. Upon knowing the unfortunate event of the soccer star, the soccer community sent their condolences.

Reuters cites police sources to state that the cause of the death of the 31-year-old footballer has not been known.

Efforts to Save Baldock Unsuccessful

According to ESPN's report, the authorities were quick to get to the venue where he was taken and carried out cardiopulmonary resuscitation on him in an attempt to salvage him, though it was too late, as they could not bring him back to life.

The official time of death was recorded at 10 p.m. local time (7 p.m. GMT). His sudden death has sent waves throughout the football world and the community with his being young and having served a few seasons in the clubs.

A Career Established on the Land of England and Greece

Baldock started his footballing career in England, where he played several clubs that included Sheffield United, MK Dons, and Oxford United. Having witnessed a great move about Baldock in May, followed by the relegation of Sheffield United in the Premier League, he joined Panathinaikos.

As a talented defender with Greek ancestry, he was capped 12 times for the Greece national team and showed how he was fully devoted to both his origin and to the game.

Although Baldock had played four games for Panathinaikos, in their last game went into a 0-0 draw with his fellow local rival Olympiakos. Still, he was not included in Greece's Nations League squad for their next game at Wembley against England.

Tributes Flood from Footballing World

In reality, tributes coming in from across the football world over the sad news of the death of Baldock have flooded the internet.

"The defender left the club in the summer after seven years at Bramall Lane and was extremely popular with supporters, staff, and teammates who pulled on a red and white shirt alongside him," Sheffield United posted on X.

In a rather emotional statement on Facebook, the Greek national team said the following:

"With deep sadness and pain, the national team and the Hellenic Football Federation say goodbye to George Baldock."

"There are no words to describe the human pain caused by the news of the untimely loss of one of our young people. The moment calls for silence. Condolences to his family. Condolences from his second family. Goodbye," the statement added.

Daily Mail also reports that his former teammates have also been paying tributes. England and Manchester United defender Harry Maguire, a former teammate at Sheffield United, posted a poignant tribute on Instagram; he shared a photograph of Baldock accompanied by a broken heart emoji.

Other footballers include Goalkeeper Dean Henderson, who added his tributes in recalling the impact that Baldock made on those who played alongside him.

Not even UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin was spared a few tears as he mourned the massive loss that stunned the entire football world.

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