The recent international break was one full of emotion for West Ham United defender Dinos Mavropanos and his Greece teammates.
On 9 October, their worlds were turned upside down when George Baldock, the popular Panathinaikos and former MK Dons and Sheffield United full-back, who had been capped 12 times by Greece since 2022, was found dead at his house in Athens.
The following evening, Greece took on England – the country of Baldock’s birth – at Wembley Stadium and recorded their first-ever win over the Three Lions. The victory was dedicated to their late friend, with goalscorer Vangelis Pavlidis and his colleagues, including Mavropanos, holding Baldock’s No2 shirt above their heads in tribute after taking the lead and again at the full-time whistle.
Full of confidence drawn from that result and fuelled with a collective desire to honour Baldock’s memory, Greece then returned to Athens, where they made it four wins from four in UEFA Nations League B Group 2 with a 2-0 victory over the Republic of Ireland.
Mavropanos spoke to whufc.com on his return to Rush Green training ground at the end of a challenging week about his determination to do well for both country and Club.
“The whole thing, we were shocked when we heard about the news when we found out what happened,” he began. “Everyone was so close with George. He was two years in the national team. He was such a beloved guy, always smiling and he gave everything to everything he did, so it was a tough, tough time for us.
“I think all of us, we are so close together because we've been more or less the same group in the last two or three years and he was one of us. We grew up as a team and he was part of this.
“After this bad news, this tragedy, we just had a bit of more desire to do well for him. It was against England, so it was special to give everything for him as well.
“In terms of football, it was a successful week with two good performances and results as well, but of course the news about George meant we were sad rather than happy.”
Mavropanos starred in both wins and has now started 13 of his country’s last 14 competitive internationals – only missing a UEFA Euro 2024 qualifier in the Netherlands through suspension.
As such, the 26-year-old has become an integral and influential member of a Greece squad both mourning the loss of a valued member, while also seeking promotion to Nations League A and qualification for their first FIFA World Cup finals since 2014.
“All of us feel like we are important to the team because, really, I think all of us have a connection with each other and we grew up as a team,” he said, modestly. “We help each other, trust each other and I think there is not only me, but everyone shows in the pitch that we have this feeling when we when we have international camps.”
Returning to West Ham, Mavropanos has been on the substitutes’ bench for the previous two Premier League fixtures, having started the first five. He impressed at right-back in the second half of the 1-1 draw at Brentford, though, and is determined to do his best, wherever he is given an opportunity to play at Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday.
“Of course I prefer to play as a starter, but I am always there whenever the team needs me in whatever position,” he confirmed. “I’m happy to help my team to achieve our goals.
“Saturday is a big game after the international break and we just have to give everything we have because it’s an important derby and we need to get the three points.”
