George Baldock to be honoured at Wembley with Greece and England to wear black armbands after his death aged 31

GREECE and England will wear black armbands for tonight’s match in tribute to George Baldock following his shock death.

The Three Lions host Ivan Jovanovic’s side at Wembley in the Nations League just 24 hours after the defender died.

And both sides will pay their respects to Baldock, who passed away aged 31.

As well as the black armbands, a period of silence will be observed before kick-off while Wembley will also celebrate the life of Kick It Out founder Lord Herman Ouseley.

A minute’s silence is also set to be held before Sunday’s home game with Ireland at the Karaiskakis Stadium.

Baldock – born in Buckinghamshire – earned 12 caps for Greece’s national team thanks to eligibility through his grandmother.

The full-back tragically died on Wednesday at his villa in Athens, where he was found at around 10.30pm local time in a swimming pool.

Police were unable to resuscitate Baldock at the scene and his death was confirmed as investigations continue.

The former Sheffield United star spent seven seasons at Bramall Lane before joining Super League Greece outfit Panathinaikos over the summer.

He featured in Sunday’s 0-0 draw with rivals Olympiacos but was not picked in the Greece squad for this week’s October internationals and missed the September matches through injury.

Baldock’s wife – who lives in England – raised the alarm on Wednesday when she struggled to contact him.

She then informed the owner of the house in Glyfada, southern Athens, to check the property.

A heartbreaking family statement said: “We can confirm that George has sadly passed away.

“As a family we are in shock at this terrible loss.”

The Greece national team added: “With profound sadness and sorrow, the national team and the Greek Football Federation bid farewell to George Baldock.

“There are no words to describe the human pain caused by the news of the unexpected loss of one of our own young men.

“The moment forces silence. Condolences to his family. Condolences from his second family.”

Footballers also posted their condolences on social media, including fellow ex-Blades man Harry Maguire.

The Manchester United defender shared a photo of Baldock and added a broken heart emoji.

Baldock graduated from MK Dons’ youth set-up and had loans with Oxford United, Tamworth and Northampton Town before making his name with Sheffield United.

He starred for the Yorkshire side between 2017 and 2024, making 219 appearances and earning the nickname Furious George due to his aggressive all-action style.

Baldock helped Sheffield United to two promotions to the Premier League and even a top-half finish in the Covid-hit 2019-20 season.

But behind the likes of Kyle Walker, Kieran Trippier, Reece James and Trent Alexander-Arnold among English right-backs, he explored the possibility of representing Greece at international level.

Once the paperwork was finally done, he earned his debut in the Nations League in June 2022 as a late substitute against Northern Ireland.

A year later, Baldock somehow kept Kylian Mbappe quiet for 104 MINUTES despite playing through “unimaginable” pain in his ankle.

Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk