Greek striker Vangelis Pavlidis dedicated his first goal against England to his late teammate George Baldock on Thursday night.
The striker pointed to the sky and raised his black armband in tribute to Baldock after putting Greece 1-0 up in the 49th minute at Wembley.
His teammates also ran and held a white t-shirt with Baldock’s name in the air to commemorate the 31-year-old after his tragic death.
The former Sheffield United defender was found dead in the communal pool of his villa in Greece, and local media reported he had drowned, shortly before flying back to England for his son’s first birthday.
The Greek stars also held up his shirt before kick-off and both teams held a minute’s silence for the Buckinghamshire-born Greek international.
Greek striker Vangelis Pavlidis dedicated his first goal to George Baldock
His teammates held aloft a white T-shirt with Baldock’s name on it after the defender died at age 31.
Former Sheffield United defender George Baldock was found dead in his swimming pool in Greece on Wednesday, with reports claiming he had drowned.
The scene where former Sheffield United defender George Baldock was found dead in his swimming pool in Athens, Greece.
Baldock made over 400 appearances in English football and spent seven seasons with Sheffield United until this summer, earning two promotions with the Blades.
He then swapped England for Greece, joining Panathinaikos and making four appearances for them.
Baldock had qualified to play for Greece through his grandmother and had earned 12 international caps in recent years.
It is understood that on Wednesday he trained as usual with his team and then drove 21 kilometers from the session to his rented ground-floor apartment for 15,000 euros a month in the luxurious Athens suburb of Glyfada.
Police say his partner had contacted the property manager, identified as Andreas Vlachopoulos, who went to the property and found Baldock dead in the pool with the owners.
On his Instagram, Mr Vlachopoulos wrote: “Being called into the office at 10pm at night by the owner of a property you have rented and being the first to announce that your client was found dead in his pool.” home.
Police attempted CPR on the 31-year-old former Premier League player but were unable to revive him and emergency medical units confirmed his death at the scene, an official told Reuters.
His family have said they are in total “shock” at his death. Paying tribute, they said ‘you were the most special father, fiancé, son, brother, uncle, friend, teammate and person.’
“Your enthusiasm and infectious personality brought so much love to those who were lucky enough to know you and to those who adored you from the stands.”
George Baldock trained on the day of his death and his teammates and team staff gathered outside the villa where he was found dead yesterday.
Baldock in action on Sunday in the local derby against bitter rival Olympiacos
The Greece stars had taken a photo wearing a Baldock jersey before kick-off as they paid tribute.
England and Greece took time to remember Baldock before their match at Wembley
The players held a minute’s silence to remember Baldock before the Nations League tie.
The Athenian newspaper Kathimerini says that a post-mortem examination was completed today in the Greek capital and that the medical examiner indicated that “drowning in water” was the cause of death.
Toxicology tests conducted during the autopsy, including whether alcohol was present in his system when he died, will take “several days” to return results. The police have already ruled out any criminal activity.
The Hellenic Football Federation said: “It is with deep sadness and pain that the National Team and the Hellenic Football Federation bid farewell to George Baldock.
‘There are no words to describe the human pain caused by the news of the premature loss of one of our young people. The moment demands silence.
‘My deepest condolences to his family. Condolences from your second family. Bye bye’.
Panathinaikos also paid tribute writing: ‘We are overwhelmed, we are shocked by the loss of our George. The Panathinaikos family mourns his untimely death. “We stand with the family and relatives of George Baldock.”
England international Ben Chilwell, who played with Baldock at MK Dons, paid him a heartfelt tribute. ‘From going to bars together when we were younger at MK, to playing against each other in the Premier League. I am heartbroken. Rest in peace mate,’ he wrote on Instagram.
Manchester United defender Harry Maguire also paid tribute to the defender, simply posting ‘RIP’, along with a broken heart emoji. Southampton defender Kyle Walker-Peters wrote: “Horrible news.” RIP George.’
Chelsea and England defender Ben Chilwell paid tribute to Baldock, who he played with during their time together at MK Dons.
England defender Harry Maguire was one of the first to react and wrote ‘RIP’ on Instagram.
Police will look at the property’s security cameras to confirm he was alone.
Tributes are being paid to former Sheffield United player George Baldock outside the club’s Bramall Lane stadium this afternoon.
George was known as ‘Starman’ by his fans who sang an ode to him at games to the tune of David Bowie’s hit.
There were also tributes from his former clubs in England and the FA.
Baldock’s wife reportedly tried to contact him for several hours without a response, before contacting the owner of his villa.
After searching the suburban property, they found Baldock in the community pool and called emergency services.
He was reportedly in the water for several hours before being found, according to footage seen by the response unit.
His boyhood club MK Dons said they were “devastated” to hear the news, in an emotional post in which they said he “will always be one of us”.
They said: ‘We are deeply devastated and saddened to hear the shocking news from former Academy graduate and MK Dons player George Baldock.
‘George began his career at Stadium MK, where he worked his way through the youth ranks and made his professional debut for the Club before reaching the heights of the Premier League in later years.
“Everyone affiliated with MK Dons shares a great love for George, Sam and the Baldock family, and we would like to share our deepest condolences during these terrible times.
Flowers and shirts were hung in his memory: he spent seven years with the Blades
This card said he was a club ‘legend’ who would ‘always be in our hearts’
“You’ll always be one of us, George.”
Also responding to the news, the official English football account said they were “extremely sad.”
They continued: ‘We are very saddened by the passing of George Baldock.
‘George was close to many of our players and represented Greece, our rival on Thursday night. “We are thinking of George’s family, friends and team-mates at club and country at this difficult time.”
More to follow.
