Greek football player found dead in his swimming pool

Greek defender George Baldock was found dead in the swimming pool of his home in Glyfada, southern Athens, on Wednesday evening.

The circumstances of his death remain unclear for the time being. The police are conducting an investigation.

The 31-year-old British-born player has been plying his trade with Panathinaikos since the summer. There were no known specific health problems.

Baldock has 12 caps for Greece, but this time he was not part of the squad for Thursday's UEFA Nations League game against England in London.

He was born in Buckingham, England, in 1993 and received Greek nationality through his grandmother.

He was trained as a right-back at MK Dons of Milton Keynes, where he was a member until 2017, with various loan spells at clubs such as Tamworth and Oxford United.

In 2017 he then moved to Sheffield United, where he played more than 200 league games in seven years and secured a place in the Greek national team. In total he played for the “Blades” in the Premier League for three years.

In the summer of 2024 he moved to a Greek club for the first time, joining Panathinaikos. He had recently regained his form and was a regular for the Greek Cup winners.