George Baldock. A tribute.
“There’s a Starman, running down the right;
his name is Georgie Baldock and he’s f*cking dynamite”.
So sang Sheffield United fans of Baldock during his seven years as a buccaneering, whole-hearted wing-back. The reworked David Bowie song was frequently heard because Baldock was invariably involved. He played like a fan, giving absolutely everything for the shirt. He had to win for his team-mates and for the fans. Fans nicknamed him “Furious George” because of his committed style, but off the field Baldock was a calm, considered, intelligent character, also adored by supporters as such a fine ambassador for their club.
When Baldock left Bramall Lane this summer, moving to Panathinaikos, his heartfelt message to fans made them love him even more. And now they awake to unbearable news. One supporter was sitting in his wind-lashed home in Florida but thinking of Baldock, messaging fellow-fans, all of them struggling to take in the news about their Starman.
31. Baldock was only 31 when he passed away. Any young death is impossible to comprehend. So much hope for the future, so much they could have achieved, special moments, families, more career highlights, all gone at 31. Harry Maguire, who knew Baldock from their Bramall Lane days, posted a broken heart emoji as news came through that Baldock had died in Greece.
Baldock was popular with players and supporters alike. Blades fans loved his whole-hearted commitment, charging back and forth, an important cog in the Chris Wilder machine that shook the Premier League up briefly, and also for Paul Heckingbottom. Baldock was more than a player to them. They loved that Baldock “got” them and their club. He wasn’t from the area or the academy but he felt one of them.
They remember the Buckingham-born defender’s thunderous volley against Swansea City, meeting Rhys Norrington-Davies’ cross at Bramall Lane in 2022. The club’s social media feed kept posting different angles of the fabulous strike. The sight of Baldock then running over to celebrate with the subs, as well as his team-mates, showed even more what a true club man Starman was.
They remember Baldock coming back after injury and giving the team more drive as they rose back to the Premier League under Heckingbottom. They remember his celebration at full-time after the 2-1 win over Wolves last November, walking over to the crowd at Bramall Lane and punching the air. It was the personal touches, too, talking to fans after games and training. Baldock cared.
He was one of those footballers you immediately warmed to. He was a thoughtful interviewee, eloquent too with his 10 As at GCSE level. During lockdown, as players were considering “Project Restart”, I spoke to Baldock via zoom. Some players were questioning the wisdom of returning to play, even behind closed doors. But Baldock spoke intelligently and was able to give further insight as his brother James was a doctor in the NHS. He returned and played.
Baldock always had a perspective on his profession having played in five divisions. He played non-League on loan from MK Dons for Tamworth, playing in front of 892 against Grimsby at the Lamb. Baldock never lost belief of reaching the top. He just went step by step, always dedicated. He was loved by Oxford United fans for his time on loan there. At the time, they spoke of how they could see his qualities, knew he’d go far and wished him well on his journey.
On joining Sheffield United from MK Dons, his career really took off. He loved challenging himself against the best left-sided attackers like Liverpool’s Sadio Mane and Tottenham Hotspur’s Heung-min Son.
And Kylian Mbappe. Baldock was eligible to play for Greece through his paternal grandmother, used to recall his father celebrating wildly in the kitchen Greece’s Euro 2004 success and was a regular visitor to Greece even before getting his international clearance in 2022 and representing Greece on 12 occasions.
Greece fans congregating at Wembley tonight will recall his determined performance against France in a Euro 2024 qualifier at Stade de France in June 2023, down to 10 men after Konstantinos Mavropanos was sent off, trailing to Mbappe’s penalty, and Baldock never giving up. Even 12 minutes into added time, Baldock was attacking, and France needed a foul by Theo Hernandez on Baldock to stop an attack. He’d done well against Mbappe, blocking shots, and pressurising him into volleying over. It was all the more remarkable because Baldock was still recovering from an ankle injury picked up against the Republic of Ireland three nights earlier.
That commitment summed him up. So did his performance for Panathinaikos against Olympiakos on Sunday. And now this, at 31, it’s unfathomable. Football has lost a professional who never let the side down. Heartfelt condolences go out to George’s family, friends and team-mates. Rest In Peace, Starman.
Thank you, Henry - it was a wonderful tribute and captured what George meant to me and, I suspect, so many people.
Really touching piece Henry, I knew the name but not so much of the man. It's no age to be gone at all, really sad to read yesterday.