They issued a heartbreaking statement.
George Baldock’s family have issued a statement confirming the post-mortem result that the player tragically drowned.
A Greek international, his Greece teammates won at England 2-1 in his honour last night, dedicating the victory to George.
Greece forward Vangelis Pavlidis, who scored both goals for the visitors, told ITV after the match: “It was a really special day for us because of George. We are people and it’s a special night because of him. [We have thought about him] a lot since we heard it yesterday.
“A difficult moment for us because George was part of the team. Special guy.
“We have to play for him and it doesn’t matter the score today. We gave everything for him.”
Baldock, formerly of Sheffield United, joined Panathinaikos in the summer.
He was found dead in the swimming pool at his villa in Athens on Wednesday night.
His wife raised concern following not being able to reach him.
It is understood Baldock was dead for five hours before being found by the owner of the villa.
Left heartbroken, the family have now released a statement:
“We are heartbroken with the sudden passing of our beloved George. We can confirm that a post-mortem examination has found that George tragically drowned whilst swimming in the pool at his home in Glyfada, Athens
“George, 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 that were fortunate enough to know you and those that adored you from the stands.
“We will forever cherish the special memories we have of you and you will continue to live on in your beautiful son. You were due to fly home today for us to celebrate his first birthday together, but instead we mourn your loss.
“As a family it has been incredibly touching, but equally so very difficult to read the huge number of tributes written by those that knew George and from those whose life he touched.
“It was impossible not to love him. We ask that you please continue to respect our privacy at this devastating time as we begin to process our grief.”
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Police continue to investigate whether a second person was in attendance when Baldock passed away.
A spokesperson for Greece’s Hellic Police stated: “A forensic pathologist was called to the scene and examined the body with no evidence of criminal activity.
The police searched the house to determine if there were any signs of a burglary with a negative result. In addition, a specialised team of the Criminal Investigation Directorate of the Police carried out a check on the house in order to rule out the possibility of criminal activity”.
