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George Baldock

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George Baldock
Baldock playing for Sheffield United in 2019
Personal information
Full name George Henry Ivor Baldock[1]
Date of birth (1993-03-09)9 March 1993
Place of birth Buckingham, England
Date of death 9 October 2024(2024-10-09) (aged 31)
Place of death Glyfada, South Athens, Greece
Height 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)[2]
Position(s) Right-back
Youth career
0000–2009 Milton Keynes Dons
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2009–2017 Milton Keynes Dons 104 (2)
2011 → Northampton Town (loan) 5 (0)
2012 → Tamworth (loan) 3 (0)
2012 → ÍBV (loan) 16 (1)
2012 → Tamworth (loan) 15 (1)
2015–2016 → Oxford United (loan) 39 (3)
2017–2024 Sheffield United 205 (6)
2024 Panathinaikos 3 (0)
Total 390 (13)
International career
2022–2024 Greece 12 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

George Henry Ivor Baldock (Greek: Τζορτζ Μπάλντοκ; 9 March 1993 – 9 October 2024) was a professional footballer who played as a right-back or right wing-back.

Baldock started his career at Milton Keynes Dons, where he played 125 total games, and was also loaned to Northampton Town, Tamworth, ÍBV and Oxford United. With the last of those clubs, he made the League Two PFA Team of the Year for 2015–16. In 2017, he signed for Sheffield United where he spent seven seasons, three of which in the Premier League. After making 219 appearances for the club, he joined Panathinaikos of Super League Greece in 2024.

Born in England and with Greek ancestry through his grandmother,[3] Baldock represented the Greece national team on 12 occasions from 2022 till his death in 2024.

Club career

Milton Keynes Dons

Baldock was born in Buckingham, Buckinghamshire, on 9 March 1993.[4][5] He started his career playing for Milton Keynes Dons' academy team. His older brother Sam Baldock also played for the club.[6]

Baldock made his first-team debut for Milton Keynes Dons on 1 May 2010 in the League One clash with Brighton & Hove Albion at the Stadium:mk which ended in 0–0 draw, coming on as a substitute for Daniel Powell in the 81st minute.[7] Baldock made his full debut for the club on the last day of the 2010–11 season in a League One match against Oldham Athletic.[8]

On 30 October 2011, he joined Northampton Town on a month's loan. In March 2012 he joined Tamworth on loan, along with teammate Charlie Collins.[9] He made his debut in a 1–1 league draw against Gateshead and completed the full match.[10] On 3 May 2012, he joined Icelandic Úrvalsdeild club ÍBV on a one-month loan.[11] He made his debut for the club three days later in the opening match of the 2012 season, a 2–1 defeat away at Selfoss. Baldock was handed a one-match ban on 5 June 2012 after collecting four yellow cards in his first six games.[12] He scored his first goal for ÍBV on 20 June 2012 in the 3–1 away win over Grindavík before being substituted for Ragnar Leósson. The following day, the club announced that Baldock's loan spell had been extended until 8 August, meaning he would be eligible to participate in the Europa League qualifying campaign.[13]

On 3 July 2012, he was given a further one-match suspension after becoming the first player of the season in the Icelandic leagues to reach the limit of seven yellow cards in league and cup matches.[14] Nevertheless, he made his first appearance in European competition two days later after being selected in the starting line-up for the 1–0 defeat to Irish outfit St Patrick's Athletic in the first leg of the Europa League first qualifying round.[15]

ÍBV announced on 9 August 2012 that Baldock's loan spell with the club had been extended until the end of the month.[16] Following his return from his loan at ÍBV, Baldock linked up on loan once again with Conference Premier club Tamworth.[17] He signed with the club until the end of year, along with Dons teammates Charlie Collins and Jordan Ivey-Ward. George scored his first goal for Tamworth against Woking in a 3–2 victory.[18] On 19 December 2012, Baldock scored twice for Tamworth as they beat Corby Town away 4–2 in the FA Trophy second-round replay.[19]

Baldock featured several times for Milton Keynes Dons in the first half of the 2014–15 season, including as part of the team involved in the memorable 4–0 win over Manchester United in the second round of the League Cup on 26 August 2015.[20] On 12 February 2015, Baldock signed a loan deal till the end of the 2014–15 season with League Two club Oxford United.[21] He went on to play 12 games for the club, He scored a late equaliser in the 1–1 home draw with Morecambe.[22] Baldock returned to Oxford on a season-long loan on 30 June 2015.[23] During his loan Baldock established himself as an integral part of the team, later being named in the 2015–16 League 2 PFA Team of the Year for his performances with Oxford.[24][25]

On 28 January 2016, after he impressed during his loan spell with the club, Milton Keynes Dons announced that Baldock had been recalled.[26] On 3 May 2016, having claimed a place as a regular first-team player, Baldock was named the club's Young Player of the Year 2015/16 at the club's end-of-season awards.[27] On 29 July 2016, Baldock signed a contract extension with Milton Keynes Dons, keeping him at the club until the summer of 2018.[28] On 26 November 2016, Baldock made his 100th appearance for the club in a 2–1 win away versus Coventry City.[29]

Sheffield United

On 13 June 2017, Baldock was reunited with former Oxford manager Chris Wilder when he joined newly promoted Championship club Sheffield United, on a three-year deal for an undisclosed fee.[30] He scored his first goal for the club on 26 December in a 3–0 win over Sunderland at Bramall Lane.[31]

On 28 April 2019, Baldock saw the Blades secure promotion to the Premier League following a 12-year absence.[32] He made his top-flight debut on 10 August in a 1–1 draw at A.F.C. Bournemouth, and was praised by Tom Prentki of The Daily Telegraph as a "crucial cog" who provided the cross for his team's goal.[33] He signed a new three-year contract at the club on 19 August.[34] On 9 November, he scored his first Premier League goal, equalising in a 1–1 draw away to Tottenham Hotspur from a crossed ball.[35] Sheffield United finished the season in 9th place despite being tipped for relegation at the start of the campaign,[36] and Baldock and left-back Enda Stevens were described as "superb" by The Independent.[37]

Baldock signed a new four-year deal on 12 December 2020, keeping him at the club until 2024.[38] Sheffield United were back in the Premier League for 2023–24, but Baldock was affected by injuries,[39] and the team were relegated.[40] In May 2024, it was announced that he would leave once his contract expired at the end of the 2023–24 season.[41]

Baldock was known as "Starman" to Sheffield United fans, who chanted the David Bowie song while adding his name. He bought a defibrilator for a young fan with a heart condition, so that the boy could play football.[42]

Panathinaikos

On 29 May 2024, Baldock joined Greekside Panathinaikos by signing a three-year contract.[43] He made his debut on 8 August in the UEFA Europa League third qualifying round, first leg, at home to Ajax, coming on as a 63rd-minute substitute for Giannis Kotsiras.[44] He played three Super League Greece games, the last being a goalless draw at home to Olympiacos in the Derby of the Eternal Enemies on 6 October.[45]

International career

Baldock was of Greek descent through his grandmother, and was thus eligible to represent Greece at an international level as well as England.[46] Having obtained Greek nationality,[47] on 27 May 2022 he was called up to the Greek national team by head coach Gus Poyet for the first time ahead of their 2022–23 UEFA Nations League June fixtures.[48]

On 2 June 2022, Baldock made his debut for Greece in a 1–0 win over Northern Ireland at Windsor Park in Belfast.[49]

Death

Baldock was found dead in the pool of his house in Glyfada, Athens, on 9 October 2024, at the age of 31.[4][50] He had been due to return to England to celebrate his son's first birthday.[51] After several hours of being unable to reach him, his wife in England raised concern, prompting the property owner to discover his body.[52] An initial coroner's report suggested that Baldock had drowned and police ruled out any criminal activity. However, further details of his death remain unknown.[50]

The day after Baldock's death, Greece played against England (the country of Baldock's birth) in the UEFA Nations League at Wembley Stadium. The Greek players had learned of his death the night before the game, and were reported to have barely slept. The Hellenic Football Federation requested that UEFA postpone the game, but were told that there was no available future date.[51] Greece won the game 2–1, their first ever victory over England, with goalscorer Vangelis Pavlidis lifting a Baldock shirt alongside his teammates to celebrate both the first goal and the full-time whistle, and dedicating the victory to him.[53]

Career statistics

Club

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition[54]
Club Season League National cup[a] League cup[b] Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Milton Keynes Dons 2009–10[55] League One 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
2010–11[56] League One 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0
2011–12[57] League One 0 0 1 0 1 0 1[c] 0 3 0
2012–13[58] League One 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0
2013–14[59] League One 38 2 4 0 2 0 2[c] 0 46 2
2014–15[60] League One 9 0 2 0 3 0 0 0 14 0
2015–16[61] Championship 15 0 0 0 0 0 — 15 0
2016–17[62] League One 37 0 3 0 0 0 2[d] 0 42 0
Total 104 2 10 0 6 0 5 0 125 2
Northampton Town (loan) 2011–12[57] League Two 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 0
Tamworth (loan) 2011–12[57] Conference Premier 3 0 0 0 — — 3 0
ÍBV (loan) 2012[63] Úrvalsdeild 16 1 1 0 — 2[e] 0 19 1
Tamworth (loan) 2012–13[64] Conference Premier 15 1 1 0 — 3[f] 2 19 3
Oxford United (loan) 2014–15[60] League Two 12 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 12 1
2015–16[61] League Two 27 2 5 0 1 0 2[c] 0 35 2
Total 39 3 5 0 1 0 2 0 47 3
Sheffield United 2017–18[65] Championship 34 1 3 0 1 0 — 38 1
2018–19[66] Championship 27 1 0 0 0 0 — 27 1
2019–20[67] Premier League 38 2 2 0 0 0 — 40 2
2020–21[68] Premier League 32 0 2 0 0 0 — 34 0
2021–22[69] Championship 25 1 0 0 0 0 2[g] 0 27 1
2022–23[70] Championship 36 1 4 0 0 0 — 40 1
2023–24[71] Premier League 13 0 0 0 0 0 — 13 0
Total 205 6 11 0 1 0 2 0 219 6
Panathinaikos 2024–25[72] Super League Greece 3 0 0 0 — 1[e] 0 4 0
Career total 390 13 28 0 8 0 15 2 441 15
  1. ^ Includes FA Cup, Icelandic Cup
  2. ^ Includes Football League/EFL Cup
  3. ^ a b c Appearance(s) in Football League Trophy
  4. ^ Appearances in EFL Trophy
  5. ^ a b Appearance(s) in UEFA Europa League
  6. ^ Appearances in FA Trophy
  7. ^ Appearances in Championship play-offs

International

Appearances and goals by national team and year[73]
National team Year Apps Goals
Greece 2022 6 0
2023 4 0
2024 2 0
Total 12 0

Honours

Sheffield United

Individual

References

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  2. ^ "George Baldock: Overview". Premier League. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
  3. ^ ΚΩΣΤΑΣ ΑΥΓΟΥΣΤΑΚΗΣ (15 June 2023). "Μπάλντοκ: "Στο μυαλό μας μόνο η Ιρλανδία, η γιαγιά μου θα ήταν περήφανη που παίζω με την Εθνική Ελλάδας"". Retrieved 27 March 2024.
  4. ^ a b "George Baldock obituary: Agile Sheffield United defender". www.thetimes.com. 11 October 2024. Retrieved 13 October 2024.
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  12. ^ Magnús Már Einarsson (5 June 2012). "Úrskurður aganefndar: Tveir í þriggja leikja bann" [Disciplinary committee ruling: Two given three match bans] (in Icelandic). Fótbolti.net. Retrieved 9 July 2012.
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  66. ^ "Games played by George Baldock in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
  67. ^ "Games played by George Baldock in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
  68. ^ "Games played by George Baldock in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 19 August 2021.
  69. ^ "Games played by George Baldock in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 19 August 2021.
  70. ^ "Games played by George Baldock in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 23 July 2022.
  71. ^ "Games played by George Baldock in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
  72. ^ "Games played by George Baldock in 2024/2025". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
  73. ^ "Baldock, George". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 10 October 2024.
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