Oct 12,2024
Midfielder Dimitrios Pelkas said Greece did not want to play their Nations League game with England following the death of George Baldock but forced themselves to win in his honour.
Former Sheffield United defender Baldock died at the age of 31 after drowning in his swimming pool in Athens.
He won 12 caps for Greece, after being eligible to represent them through his grandmother and was last involved in their squad for the Euro 2024 play-off defeat to Georgia.
Greece paid tribute to their team-mate in the best possible way as they beat England for the first time with a stunning 2-1 victory at Wembley, with Evangelos Pavlidis scoring a winner in stoppage-time.
Pelkas, who came off the bench, said his side did not want to play but could not postpone the game because there was no room in the calendar to rearrange.
"It is like this, rules are rules, UEFA don't have another opportunity to play this game so we played today," he said. "We give this win to him.
"When these things happen in life, football is the second part. The most important thing is that our friend George passed away.
"We will never forget him, I was sure today that he would be with us from upstairs and he would celebrate with us and force us to take this victory.
"I don’t want to speak about football, yesterday was very hard for all of us, we couldn’t speak, we couldn’t laugh, we couldn’t eat in the hotel.
"It was a really hard day. I want to send my condolences to his family, for them it is the most difficult period.
"It was really difficult, it was one of us, he was an excellent guy, it is like he was with us from a very young age."
UEFA has been contacted for comment.
Meanwhile, Chris Wilder expressed his shock and sadness at the death of Baldock as he remembered the former Sheffield United defender.
Baldock spent seven years with the Blades, the majority of them under the leadership of Wilder, who rejoined the club last December.
Speaking in a video on Sheffield United's X feed, Wilder said: "I’m just stunned really.
"I’m quite matter of fact, I think we’re getting to that age where we’re going to more and more funerals. Obviously through your life you lose people that you love and you respect but this just feels completely different to everybody. Everybody’s just absolutely stunned and numb really. It’s just tragic."
Baldock, known as Starman to fans, helped United to promotion to the Premier League in 2019 and was a key figure in their successful first season in the top flight.
"He wasn’t one to grab the headlines," said Wilder. "But George was a huge personality, a huge driver, a huge culture carrier. George epitomised everything on the pitch and off the pitch.
"He was a humble person. We had rows, we had bust-ups, but we were all driving it forward and after the same outcome in everything that we did.
"Just even thinking about it now, families have lost a son, players have lost a brother. Those boys that went to battle with George, and he stood up to every challenge.
"He was an absolute pleasure to manage. He gave his maximum in everything he did and that’s what every Sheffield United fan wants."
