Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder said Friday he was “numb” after the death of his former player George Baldock, who drowned in a swimming pool this week.
The England-born Greece international, 31, was found dead in the pool at his home in the southern Athens suburb of Glyfada on Wednesday.
Baldock joined Greek club Panathinaikos from Sheffield United in July after seven years with the English club, who currently play in the second-tier Championship.
He spent most of his time at Bramall Lane under the leadership of Wilder, who rejoined the club last December.
Wilder paid tribute Baldock in a video on Sheffield United’s X feed.
“Obviously, through your life you lose people that you love and you respect but this just feels completely different to everybody,” he said.
“Everybody’s just absolutely stunned and numb really. It’s just tragic.”
Baldock, known as “Starman” to fans, helped United to promotion to the Premier League in 2019 and was a key figure in their successful first season back in the top-flight.
“He wasn’t one to grab the headlines,” said Wilder. “But George was a huge personality, a huge driver, a huge culture carrier. George epitomised everything on the pitch and off the pitch.
“He was a humble person. We had rows, we had bust-ups, but we were all driving it forward and after the same outcome in everything that we did.”
Sheffield United owner Prince Abdullah and chairman Yusuf Giansiracusa also tribute to Baldock on Friday.
“Like all Blades, we received the news of George Baldock’s tragic and premature passing with overwhelming sadness,” they said in a statement.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, as well as his friends and all who knew him, not least the Sheffield United family.”
Baldock won 12 caps for Greece, after being eligible to represent them through his grandmother and was last involved in their squad for the Euro 2024 play-off defeat to Georgia.
Greece beat England 2-1 at Wembley on Thursday in the Nations League, with Vangelis Pavlidis scoring a dramatic winner in stoppage time.
The players held up a shirt bearing the name of their former international colleague after scoring the first goal.
Greece midfielder Dimitrios Pelkas, who came on as a late substitute, said the grief-stricken side had not wanted to play but the match could not be postponed.
“We will never forget him,” he said. “I was sure today that he would be with us from upstairs and he would celebrate with us and force us to take this victory.”
