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GEORGE Baldock's heartbroken fiancee has paid a touching tribute to the footballer describing him arsenic her "soulmate" and the "perfect dad".
The Greece international, 31, was found dead at location in Athens on Wednesday evening aft drowning successful his swimming pool - leaving down a devastated Annabel Dignam and their lad Brody.
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Annabel broke her soundlessness with an Instagram station dedicated to Baldock conscionable hours aft his origin of decease was confirmed.
She wrote: "George, the emotion of my life, my soulmate. The cleanable dada to our beauteous boy.
"You completed me. You were my satellite and I cognize we were yours.
"You are present with maine successful Brody's smile, giggle and infectious personality.
read much successful George Baldock
"My satellite volition ne'er beryllium the aforesaid but I volition find a mode for Brody. I promise.
"I emotion you everlastingly and ever G. Your Neen. X"
You completed me. You were my satellite and I cognize we were yours.You are present with maine successful Brody's smile, giggle and infectious personality
Annabel DignamGeorge Baldock's fiancee
The station was followed by a loving snap of the mates unneurotic smiling.
His household besides revealed the shot star, who moved to Greece to play for Panathinaikos FC, was owed to instrumentality to the UK connected Thursday to observe his birthday.
A abstracted tribute hours earlier by his household described Baldock arsenic the "most peculiar person".
It continued: "You were the astir peculiar father, fiancee, son, brother, uncle, friend, teammate and person.
"Your enthusiasm and infectious property brought truthful overmuch emotion to those that were fortunate capable to cognize you and those that adored you from the stands.
"We volition everlastingly cherish the peculiar memories we person of you and you volition proceed to unrecorded connected successful your beauteous son.
"You were owed to alert location contiguous for america to observe his archetypal day together, but alternatively we mourn your loss."
George Baldock 1 infinitesimal silence
The household besides confirmed his origin of decease arsenic drowning successful his swimming excavation astatine his Greek home.
Investigations into Baldock's daze decease revealed the ex-Sheffield United subordinate died successful the water.
Annabel archetypal raised the alarm aft not proceeding from her soon-to-be husband.
After failing to way him down, she told the proprietor of the location successful Glyfada to cheque the property.
The full-back, who joined Athens side Panathinaikos from Sheffield United this summer, was recovered astatine the bottommost of the excavation by his landlord who jumped implicit the obstruction to get into the home.
The Greece international, who was calved successful Buckingham but qualifies for the squad via his grandmother, was recovered wearing swimming trunks and was pulled retired of the h2o by exigency services.
They tried to resuscitate him but sadly could not revive him.
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Initial autopsy results confirmed the apt origin of decease arsenic "microscopically foamy microbubbles" had formed connected the footballer - an denotation of drowning.
Forensic scientists who conducted the autopsy connected Baldock astatine Athens' University Hospital contiguous accidental helium was dormant for 5 hours earlier helium was discovered.
The family's touching connection ended with them saying: "As a household it has been incredibly touching, but arsenic truthful precise hard to work the immense fig of tributes written by those that knew George and from those whose beingness helium touched.
"It was intolerable not to emotion him. We inquire that you delight proceed to respect our privateness astatine this devastating clip arsenic we statesman to process our grief."
Cops said it would beryllium " respective weeks, if not months" earlier the afloat autopsy and toxicology results were released.
A half-empty vessel of vodka and 2 glasses were recovered next to the excavation - with police initially investigating whether different idiosyncratic was contiguous astatine the time.
Officials person since ruled retired immoderate criminality was astatine play successful his death.
TRIBUTES POUR IN
Other heartfelt tributes person continued to beryllium made for Baldock aft his decease was confirmed.
Panathinaikos said: "We are shocked, we are shocked by the nonaccomplishment of our George.
"The household of Panathinaikos mourns his untimely death. We basal with the household and loved ones of George Baldock.”
Baldock played for his nine broadside connected Sunday during a 0-0 gully with fierce rivals Olympiacos.
He played 75 minutes earlier being subbed off.
The nine person confirmed helium past trained with them connected Wednesday earlier driving location to his €15,000-a-month apartment.
They volition beryllium shocked. I retrieve him astatine Sheffield United. He had immense vigor and was ever up for a battle.
Roy Keaneex-footballer and ITV pundit
Former broadside Sheffield United besides paid tribute saying: "Sheffield United Football Club is shocked and highly saddened to larn of the passing of erstwhile player, George Baldock.
"The defender near the nine successful the summertime aft 7 years astatine Bramall Lane and was highly fashionable with supporters, unit and team-mates who pulled connected a reddish and achromatic garment alongside him.
"The sincere condolences of everyone associated with Sheffield United are extended to George's household and friends."
England and Greece stars besides held a minutes silence ahead of their Nations League clash tonight.
Pundits on ITV paid tribute Baldock up of the crippled connected unrecorded TV.
Ian Wright said: "Terrible news, shocking news. You cannot assistance but deliberation astir his friends and family, I spoke to Karl Robinson [former MK Dons manager] past nighttime who was devastated.
"He was hard-working and beardown minded, You ever thought, the mode helium applied himself, helium was ever going to get to wherever helium wanted to spell successful the Premier League.
"I'm precise atrocious and each my condolences spell to his family."
The Arsenal and England fable worked alongside Baldock during a coaching stint MK Dons, wherever the British-born Greece planetary graduated done the academy.
Manchester United and Republic of Ireland icon Roy Keane added: "They volition beryllium shocked. I retrieve him astatine Sheffield United. He had immense energy and was ever up for a battle.
"The players volition react, beryllium nonrecreational and spell and enactment connected a show for him."
Dominating Mbappe, Premier League Iron Man, promotion hero: A tribute to George Baldock
By Kostas Lianos, Digital Sports Reporter
IT was backmost successful 2019 erstwhile Greece fable Vasilis Torosidis - the heir to Euro 2004 leader Giourkas Seitaridis - retired from planetary work aft 101 caps.
A elephantine void was near down astatine right-back, galore talented players tried to measurement up - and nary of them could capable those large boots.
But, soon enough, I started to perceive whispers astir a Premier League ace with Greek practice who's a starter week-in and week-out…
That was nary different than George Baldock, calved successful Buckingham connected March 9, 1993, to English parents but qualified for Greece done his grandmother.
And what a play helium was having. The right-back starred for Sheffield United arsenic they amazed the Prem successful the 2019-20 run - their archetypal successful 12 years - by finishing successful the apical fractional of the table.
Baldock was among their standout players arsenic helium registered a staggering 3,420 minutes played - the associated highest on with the likes of Declan Rice and Virgil van Dijk.
The defender was keen to marque the large measurement to the planetary signifier with his grandmother's homeland - and it didn't instrumentality agelong until helium shook hands with the Greek shot federation (EPO) chiefs.
However, a agelong and arduous paperwork slog stood successful the mode - with the past Sheffield United prima claiming Covid-19 and Brexit slowed things down.
Greece yet got the right-back they were begging for for years arsenic Baldock made his debut connected June 2, 2022 successful a Nations League clash astatine Northern Ireland arsenic a precocious substitute.
It didn't instrumentality agelong until the English-born ace owned the close flank astatine the backmost and awesome performances followed.
Perhaps nary comparison to the Euro 2024 qualifier against France successful June 2023 erstwhile Baldock did the unthinkable and kept Kylian Mbappe quiescent for 104 MINUTES, contempt being injured and playing done "unimaginable" pain.
I inactive retrieve speaking to then-Greece manager Gus Poyet astir his player's stunning performance, and I volition ne'er hide the large grin the Chelsea fable had connected his face.
Poyet reminded maine of a arrogant begetter arsenic helium took maine done the wounded hellhole the full-back endured earlier squaring up against possibly the world's champion subordinate for his country.
A beaming Poyet told me: "Against the Republic of Ireland [three days beforehand] – and present that it is finished I tin accidental it - aft 20 minutes helium had a precise atrocious twist successful his ankle, precise bad. He was precise adjacent to travel out. I asked him, 'Can you clasp until half-time?'
"At half-time his ankle was very, precise swollen. He asked for a strapping and helium asked maine for 5 minutes. Give maine 5 minutes and we'll fto you know. And helium had an unbelievable 2nd fractional moving up and down and being outstanding.
"You don’t ideate the ankle aft the game. You don't ideate the ankle the time after, aft the formation to France. Black and bluish – swollen. And a day-and-a-half aboriginal you request to play against Mbappe.
"Ninety per cent of radical volition think, nary chance. And I support talking to him, individually. And helium keeps saying to me, 'Coach I’m gonna beryllium determination nary worries'.
"And helium didn't play 20 minutes, helium didn't play 60 minutes, helium played 104 minutes due to the fact that the referee gave 14 minutes of wounded clip against Mbappe."
It's casual to recognize however loyal Baldock was to each squad helium ever played for during his 15-year career, conscionable by looking astatine his stats.
The Greek ace started his vocation astatine MK Dons successful 2009 wherever helium amassed a staggering 125 appearances passim an eight-year stint that besides saw him playing connected indebtedness for Northampton Town, Tamworth, IBV and Oxford United.
The defender joined Sheffield United successful 2017 and registered a whopping 219 appearances successful 7 years that besides saw him helping his squad execute 2 Premier League promotions.
Baldock's enactment ethic and committedness was nary antithetic successful Greece arsenic helium proudly stated 2 years ago: "To play for the nationalist broadside is simply a large honour and a batch of pridefulness progressive for maine and my family.
"Representing my state done my precocious grandmother, it's a precise arrogant infinitesimal for maine and my family. I emotion the state and I volition combat for each success"
Baldock ne'er played for England astatine immoderate level, but helium ever competed similar a lion and helium proved it connected Sunday successful his past ever lucifer erstwhile helium started for Panathinaikos, whom helium joined successful the summer, against eternal rivals Olympiacos successful possibly the astir aggravated derby successful Europe.
He served his squad with honour arsenic helium helped them prime up a invaluable constituent successful a goalless gully against their in-form foes, who had conscionable played their champion crippled of the play with a 3-0 triumph implicit Braga successful the Europa League a fewer days earlier.
He lone managed 12 caps for Greece earlier his abrupt and tragic decease astatine the property of 31 connected Wednesday successful Athens.
But his warring tone and charisma astatine right-back with the achromatic and blue, arsenic good arsenic his singular tally successful the Premier League and the Championship, amusement that helium is leaving a bequest down for galore Greek and English fans to look up to.
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