George Baldock drowned in pool day before he was due to fly home for son's birthday
Ex-Premier League star George Baldock drowned in the swimming pool at his Athens home just a day before he was due to fly home for his son's first birthday, an inquest into his death heard. Baldock, 31, was found dead in the Greek capital where he was plying his trade for Panathinaikos.
The former Sheffield United defender had no drugs or alcohol in his system and there was no evidence of criminal activity, the court in Buckinghamshire was told. His death has been ruled an accident.
The inquest also heard that Baldock had a very large heart 'that would have meant that he was susceptible to heart arrythmias' - an irregular heartbeat, either too fast or too slow.
Baldock had played a club fixture just three days before the incident. His worried fiancee raised the alarm after failing to contact him, before the owner of the house he was living him found his body in the pool.
Despite attempts to resuscitate him, Baldock could not be saved. "George, you were the most special father, fiance, son, brother, uncle, friend, team-mate and person," his family said in a statement.
"Your enthusiasm and infectious personality brought so much love to those that were fortunate enough to know you and those that adored you from the stands.
"We will forever cherish the special memories we have of you and you will continue to live on in your beautiful son."
Baldock came through the youth ranks at MK Dons and played 125 times for the club over an eight-year period, scoring twice and winning their player of the season award in 2015-16.
He had loan spells at Northampton, Tamworth and Oxford while with the Dons, but he made his name at Bramall Lane after moving to Sheffield United in 2017.
In seven years with the Blades, he established himself as a fan favourite scoring six times from right-back in 219 appearances. He helped United to the Premier League twice, finishing runners-up in the Championship in both 2018-19 and 2022-23.
Baldock left for Panathinaikos in the summer of 2024 and played just four times for his new club before the tragic incident.
He qualified to play for Greece through his grandmother and made his debut in a 1-0 win over Northern Ireland at Windsor Park in June 2022. In all, he would earn 12 senior caps.
Greece played against England at Wembley the day after his death with the match going ahead despite his grief-stricken teammates only learning of his passing the previous night.
Tributes were paid before the game which Greece won 2-1. Baldock's shirt was held aloft after their first goal and following the full-time whistle.
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