Wembley pays George Baldock tribute at England vs Greece after player's tragic death

Football fans and players at Wembley mourned together before game against the Greece on Thursday to pay tribute to George Baldock. The former Premier League footballer and Greece international passed away yesterday.

The England-born Greece international was found unresponsive by police in a swimming pool at his home in Glyfada, southern Athens, on Wednesday night.

It was later revealed in a post-mortem that Baldock had drowned, although the cause of death is still yet to be determined. However, Greek police have deemed his death not to be suspicious.

As tributes poured from his former club Sheffield United and all around football, attention turned to the Nations League fixture which no longer appeared to have any significance given the tragedy that had occurred.

A period of silence was observed by the players, staff and fans in the stands at Wembley before the game got underway. But the mood inside the 90,000-seater stadium was understandably subdued and melancholic with the pain of Baldock's death still fresh.

Reports suggested the Greek FA had requested a postponement of the game less than 24 hours before kick-off, but were told by UEFA there would be no time to play the fixture at another date.

As a result, the fixture went ahead as planned on Thursday, with both England and Greece players wearing black armbands as a tribute to Baldock.

TV cameras panned to capture the mood of England's Dean Henderson, a former team-mate of Baldock during his time at Bramall Lane. Once the silence concluded, a roar emerged from the crowd with over 4,000 Greece fans in the away end.

Baldock's Greece team-mates, who were reportedly left 'devastated' by news of his passing and struggled to sleep before the game, released a statement with an emotional message to their late colleague.

In a joint statement, the players said: "It is impossible to believe that our dear friend and team-mate, George, is no longer with us. Our pain is indescribable.

"Tonight, we will try to reach the strength of his soul, which is a bright example for us all. Our thoughts are with his family. We will never forget you friend."

Many of the players were said to be good friends with Baldock, including Greece captain Anastasios Bakasetas, who played for the same club as him.

He joined Greek side Panathinaikos in May and was capped 12 times by Greece, qualifying to play for the country through his maternal grandmother.

Baldock had spent seven years with Sheffield United and featured over 200 times for the Blades before leaving as a free agent in the summer.