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Topics: Sheffield United
Josh Lawless
Topics: Sheffield United
George Baldock's family have released a statement after the ex Sheffield United star was found dead at his home.
On Wednesday evening, multiple outlets in Greece reported that the 31-year-old was found dead in a communal swimming pool at a villa in Glyfada.
Baldock, who played for Sheff United for seven years, had left the club to move to Panathinaikos in Greece in the summer.
He started in their game against Olympiakos in the Greek Super League last weekend.
According to reports, concerns were raised when Baldock's wife did not receive any response after attempting to contact him for several hours.
After his wife managed to get hold of the owner of the villa he was staying in, a search found him in the pool and after emergency services rushed to the scene, a doctor involved in the response unit pronounced him dead.
A post-mortem examination will determine his cause of death.
The official Greek Super League account and former club Sheff United expressed their shock and sadness at the news in a statement released shortly after, describing Baldock as "extremely popular" amongst fans and teammates.
The former MK Dons player's family have now issued a comment - calling for their privacy to be respected after the tragedy.
The statement read: "We can confirm that George has sadly passed away. As a family we are in shock at this terrible loss. We ask please that the media respect our privacy at this time."
His club Panathinaikos blacked out their profile picture on social media platforms X and Instagram, as well as posting a statement.
"We are shocked, we are shocked by the loss of our George," the club said.
"The family of Panathinaikos mourns his untimely death. We stand with the family and loved ones of George Baldock.”
Tributes and messages of condolence flooded in on social media, with England star and former Blades defender Harry Maguire one of the first to post.
He shared a picture of Baldock, accompanied with 'RIP' and a broken heart emoji.
Eligible to play through his grandmother, England-born Baldock was capped 12 times by Greece.
The two sides are expected to wear black armbands in tribute to Baldock for the Nations League game at Wembley on Thursday.