George Baldock's secret gesture to ill seven-year-old football fan in selfless act
George Baldock once left the family of a Sheffield United fan speechless when, out of nowhere, he offered to buy a young gan a defib as a struggled with heart issues
by Samuel Meade · The MirrorGeorge Baldock's selflessness has been detailed by the mother of a young Sheffield United fan who had a defibrillator bought for him by the player to help him overcome a heart issue.
The former Premier League footballer was found dead in the swimming pool of his villa on Wednesday night. Baldock was just 31 when he died, which has left the footballing world stunned. The defender enjoyed his notable success whilst playing at Bramall Lane.
He twice secured promotion to the Premier League during his time in Sheffield and made a noble gesture for a young fan called Harvey Smith. The child had been diagnosed with a faulty heart valve. His mother Marie Purdy revealed how their family sought funding for the lifesaving equipment which would allow Harvey to continue playing football.
Harvey and his father had gone to see a Sheffield United game when, out of the blue, they came across Baldock, who offered to pay for a defibrillator out of his own money, but was adamant he didn't want any publicity or recognition for doing so.
She told BBC Radio Sheffield: "Out of the blue we got an email from Sheffield United saying that they'd like to help and could Harvey come to the club. My partner came back with my son absolutely gobsmacked, they'd gone on the pitch, had a tour round as much as they could do with the [covid] restrictions and behind some seats came Sander Berge and George Baldock.
"Basically George said, this has got nothing to do with the club but I want to buy you a defib, I want to help. This was coming out of George's own money, he didn't want any recognition for it, didn't want any publicity. It was a gift to Harvey so that he could continue to play football and give us peace of mind because as a parent I'm worried sick whenever Harvey is playing football now."
Tributes have poured in for Baldock following his untimely death. The likes of Harry Maguire, Kyle Walker-Peters and Dele Alli have all paid their respects with posts on social media.
Baldock's family have said in a statement: "You were the most special father, fiancé, son, brother, uncle, friend, teammate and person. Your enthusiasm and infectious personality brought so much love to those that were fortunate enough to know you and those that adored you from the stands".
Baldock had played for his new club Panathinakos on Sunday against rivals Olympiacos. On Thursday night Greece, whom Baldock played for on 12 occasions, secured a historic win over England at Wembley. Their match winner, Vangelis Pavlidis, said: "It was a really special game for us because of George and of course we gave everything for him and for his family. We just said that we have to play for him. It doesn't matter the score today, we want to play for him and we give everything for him."
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