George Baldock's death leaves England and Greece players heartbroken as statement issued

Greece international George Baldock, who was not named in the Greece squad to face England on Thursday, has tragically passed away aged 31 - and the Three Lions have released a statement

England have released an emotional statement in which they said they are "extremely saddened" by the death of Greece international George Baldock.

The former Sheffield United defender has died at the age of 31, it was confirmed on Wednesday night. Greece international Baldock signed for Panathinaikos this summer after a seven-year spell at Bramall Lane, making his debut in August.

The full-back, who was not named in the Greece squad to face England on Thursday, featured in Sunday’s 0-0 draw with Olympiacos. The Three Lions released a statement on Wednesday night which read: "We're extremely saddened by the passing of George Baldock.

"George was close to many of our players, and represented Greece – our opponents on Thursday night. We're thinking of George's family, friends and team-mates at club and country at this difficult time."

Buckinghamshire-born Baldock started his career at MK Dons and went on to play more than 100 times for the club. A lengthy spell at MK Dons included numerous loan spells away, with two stints at Oxford before he signed for Sheffield United in 2017.

Two years later, Baldock was a key figure as Chris Wilder’s team secured promotion to the Premier League where they initially took the top-flight by storm before they suffered relegation in 2021. Baldock helped the Blades secure automatic promotion back to the summit of English football and his form earned him international recognition in 2022.

With Greek ancestry in his family, the defender was convinced by then-Greece head coach Gus Poyet to play for the national team and went on to earn 12 caps, last playing for his country earlier this year. A switch to Panathinaikos followed after 219 appearances for the Blades.