Liverpool's Kostas Tsimikas pays tribute to Greece teammate George Baldock

Greece’s victory over England at Wembley last night was marked with emotional tributes to the late George Baldock.

The incredibly sad news of Baldock’s passing only emerged late on Wednesday night, giving the football world little time to react to the news. The Greek Football Federation made a request to UEFA to postpone the game, but were told there was no available future date to play it.

The Greek team held Baldock’s number 2 shirt with them pre-game, and it was held aloft by goalscorer Vangelis Pavlidis when he opened the scoring and again after the full-time whistle.

Right-back Lazaros Rota was captured by ITV cameras declaring, “Georgey, for you!” after the intense, emotional performance by his side.

Tsimikas pays tribute

Liverpool’s left-back Kostas Tsimikas also took to social media to pay tribute to his teammate. He uploaded a post to his Instagram story that read “I will miss you mate”, next to a tribute graphic depicting Baldock and the 2-1 scoreline.

The Liverpool player didn’t take to the field at Wembley, missing out on the game due to an illness.

Greece ran England off the park over the course of Thursday night, exploiting England’s inability to pick through tight spaces at the back and the Three Lions’ defensive frailties. Their quick out balls and ability to move the ball quickly up front left England in disarray.

Greece had the ball in the back of the net five times over the course of the game, but three were ruled out for offside. 

Baldock had made 12 appearances for the Greek national team since his debut for them in 2022. He was eligible due to Greek ancestry through his grandmother.

His last appearance for them came back in March’s Euro 2024 qualification playoffs, which included a 5-0 victory over Kazakhstan.

Baldock had moved over to Athens this summer to play for Greek giants Panathinaikos, following a seven-year stint at Sheffield United. 

He last appeared for them in a 0-0 derby draw with rivals Olympiacos on Sunday evening.