1. Overview
George Henry Ivor Baldock (Τζορτζ Χένρι Άιβορ ΜπάλντοκGeorge Henry Ivor BaldockGreek, Modern) was a Greek professional footballer who played as a right-back or right wing-back. Born in England on 9 March 1993, he held Greek ancestry through his grandmother, which allowed him to represent the Greece national football team internationally.
Baldock began his career at Milton Keynes Dons, where he made 125 appearances across all competitions, including several loan spells at clubs such as Northampton Town, Tamworth, ÍBV, and Oxford United. His performances with Oxford United earned him a spot in the PFA Team of the Year for the 2015-16 EFL League Two season. In 2017, he transferred to Sheffield United, where he spent seven seasons, including three in the Premier League, making 219 appearances. In 2024, he joined Panathinaikos of the Super League Greece.
He made his debut for the Greek national team in 2022 and earned 12 caps before his untimely death on 9 October 2024, at the age of 31. He was found dead in the swimming pool at his home in Glyfada, Athens. His death prompted widespread tributes from fans, clubs, and international teammates, notably during the UEFA Nations League match between Greece and England.
2. Early life and background
George Henry Ivor Baldock was born in Buckingham, Buckinghamshire, England, on 9 March 1993. He came from a footballing family; his older brother, Sam Baldock, also played professionally and was a teammate at Milton Keynes Dons' academy team. Baldock's Greek heritage stemmed from his grandmother, which later made him eligible to represent the Greece national football team.
3. Club career
George Baldock's professional club career spanned over a decade, beginning in England with Milton Keynes Dons and culminating in Greece with Panathinaikos.
3.1. Milton Keynes Dons
Baldock started his career in the academy of Milton Keynes Dons. He made his first-team debut for the club on 1 May 2010, coming on as an 81st-minute substitute for Daniel Powell in a goalless EFL League One draw against Brighton & Hove Albion at Stadium:mk. His full debut followed on the final day of the 2010-11 season in a League One match against Oldham Athletic.
During his tenure at Milton Keynes Dons, Baldock experienced several loan spells to gain further playing experience. On 30 October 2011, he joined Northampton Town on a month-long loan. In March 2012, he moved to Tamworth on loan, making his debut in a 1-1 draw against Gateshead. On 3 May 2012, Baldock joined Icelandic Úrvalsdeild club ÍBV for a one-month loan, making his debut three days later against Selfoss. He scored his first goal for ÍBV on 20 June 2012, in a 3-1 away victory over Grindavík, and his loan was extended until 8 August, allowing him to participate in the UEFA Europa League qualifying campaign, where he made his European debut against St Patrick's Athletic. Following his return from ÍBV, Baldock had another loan spell with Conference Premier club Tamworth from August 2012 until the end of the year, scoring his first goal for them in a 3-2 win against Woking and later netting twice in an FA Trophy replay against Corby Town.
Baldock featured for Milton Keynes Dons in the first half of the 2014-15 season, notably playing in the team's historic 4-0 win over Manchester United in the EFL Cup on 26 August 2015. On 12 February 2015, he signed a loan deal with EFL League Two club Oxford United until the end of the 2014-15 season, playing 12 games and scoring a late equalizer against Morecambe. He returned to Oxford on a season-long loan on 30 June 2015, where he became an integral part of the team and was named in the 2015-16 League Two PFA Team of the Year.
After impressing during his loan, Milton Keynes Dons recalled Baldock on 28 January 2016. He established himself as a regular first-team player and was named the club's Young Player of the Year for 2015-16 on 3 May 2016. On 29 July 2016, Baldock signed a contract extension, keeping him at the club until the summer of 2018. He made his 100th appearance for the club on 26 November 2016, in a 2-1 away win against Coventry City.
3.2. Sheffield United
On 13 June 2017, Baldock reunited with his former Oxford manager Chris Wilder by joining newly promoted EFL Championship club Sheffield United on a three-year deal for an undisclosed fee. He scored his first goal for the club on 26 December in a 3-0 win over Sunderland at Bramall Lane.
On 28 April 2019, Baldock was part of the Sheffield United team that secured promotion to the Premier League after a 12-year absence. He made his top-flight debut on 10 August in a 1-1 draw at A.F.C. Bournemouth, where he was praised for providing the cross for his team's goal. He signed a new three-year contract with the club on 19 August. On 9 November, he scored his first Premier League goal, an equalizer in a 1-1 away draw against Tottenham Hotspur. Sheffield United finished the season in 9th place, exceeding expectations, with Baldock and left-back Enda Stevens being described as "superb" by The Independent.
Baldock signed another four-year deal on 12 December 2020, extending his stay at the club until 2024. In the 2023-24 season, Sheffield United returned to the Premier League, but Baldock's season was affected by injuries, and the team was ultimately relegated. In May 2024, it was announced that he would leave the club upon the expiration of his contract at the end of the 2023-24 season, having made 219 appearances for the club.
Baldock was affectionately known as "Starman" by Sheffield United fans, who would chant the David Bowie song with his name added. In a notable personal gesture, he purchased a defibrillator for a young fan with a heart condition, enabling the boy to play football safely.
3.3. Panathinaikos
On 29 May 2024, Baldock joined Greek club Panathinaikos, signing a three-year contract. He made his debut on 8 August in the UEFA Europa League third qualifying round, first leg, at home against Ajax, coming on as a 63rd-minute substitute for Giannis Kotsiras. He played three Super League Greece games for Panathinaikos, with his final match being a goalless draw at home against Olympiacos in the Derby of the Eternal Enemies on 6 October, just three days before his death.
4. International career
Baldock was eligible to represent Greece at the international level due to his Greek ancestry through his grandmother, in addition to being eligible for England by birth. After obtaining Greek nationality, he received his first call-up to the Greek national team on 27 May 2022, by head coach Gus Poyet, ahead of their 2022-23 UEFA Nations League fixtures in June.
On 2 June 2022, Baldock made his debut for Greece in a 1-0 victory over Northern Ireland at Windsor Park in Belfast. He went on to make 12 appearances for the Greek national team between 2022 and 2024.
5. Personal life
George Baldock was engaged and had a son. He was due to return to England to celebrate his son's first birthday around the time of his death.
6. Death
On 9 October 2024, George Baldock was found dead at the age of 31 in the swimming pool of his house in Glyfada, a southern suburb of Athens, Greece. His fiancée, who was in England, raised concerns after being unable to reach him for several hours, prompting the property owner to discover his body. While the manner of death was determined to be drowning, the exact cause of death was not immediately confirmed, pending the results of histological and toxicological tests by the coroner.
q=Glyfada, Athens|position=right
7. Legacy and tributes
The day after Baldock's death, on 10 October 2024, the Greece national football team played against England in a UEFA Nations League match at Wembley Stadium. The Greek players, who had learned of his death the night before, were reportedly deeply affected and had barely slept. The Hellenic Football Federation requested that UEFA postpone the game, but the request was denied due to a lack of available future dates. Greece went on to win the game 2-1, marking their first-ever victory over England. Greek goalscorer Vangelis Pavlidis celebrated by lifting a Baldock shirt alongside his teammates, dedicating the victory to him.
On 24 October 2024, Panathinaikos played English club Chelsea in their first home match since Baldock's death. The club honored his memory with a live performance of "Starman" by a local band, and displays of his squad number 32 were visible throughout the stadium. An employee of the visiting Chelsea club also presented a Milton Keynes Dons shirt bearing Baldock's name, which was subsequently displayed in his locker at Panathinaikos' training ground.
8. Honours
8.1. Club
Sheffield United
- EFL Championship second-place promotion: 2018-19, 2022-23
8.2. Individual
- Milton Keynes Dons Academy Player of the Year: 2010-11
- Milton Keynes Dons Young Player of the Year: 2015-16
- PFA Team of the Year: 2015-16 League Two
9. Career statistics
9.1. Club
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Milton Keynes Dons | 2009-10 | League One | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2010-11 | League One | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2011-12 | League One | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2012-13 | League One | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2013-14 | League One | 38 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 46 | 2 | |
| 2014-15 | League One | 9 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 0 | |
| 2015-16 | Championship | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 15 | 0 | ||
| 2016-17 | League One | 37 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 42 | 0 | |
| Total | 104 | 2 | 10 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 125 | 2 | ||
| Northampton Town (loan) | 2011-12 | League Two | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Tamworth (loan) | 2011-12 | Conference Premier | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 3 | 0 | ||
| ÍBV (loan) | 2012 | Úrvalsdeild | 16 | 1 | 1 | 0 | - | 2 | 0 | 19 | 1 | |
| Tamworth (loan) | 2012-13 | Conference Premier | 15 | 1 | 1 | 0 | - | 3 | 2 | 19 | 3 | |
| Oxford United (loan) | 2014-15 | League Two | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 1 |
| 2015-16 | League Two | 27 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 35 | 2 | |
| Total | 39 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 47 | 3 | ||
| Sheffield United | 2017-18 | Championship | 34 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | 38 | 1 | |
| 2018-19 | Championship | 27 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 27 | 1 | ||
| 2019-20 | Premier League | 38 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 40 | 2 | ||
| 2020-21 | Premier League | 32 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 34 | 0 | ||
| 2021-22 | Championship | 25 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 27 | 1 | |
| 2022-23 | Championship | 36 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 40 | 1 | ||
| 2023-24 | Premier League | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 13 | 0 | ||
| Total | 205 | 6 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 219 | 6 | ||
| Panathinaikos | 2024-25 | Super League Greece | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |
| Career total | 390 | 13 | 28 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 15 | 2 | 441 | 15 | ||
9.2. International
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greece | 2022 | 6 | 0 |
| 2023 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2024 | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 12 | 0 | |