Christine Sinclair

Christine Sinclair
OC OBC OLY[1][2]
Sinclair in 2016
Personal information
Full name Christine Margaret Sinclair[3]
Date of birth (1983-06-12) June 12, 1983
Place of birth Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
Height 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)[4]
Position(s) Forward
Youth career
South Burnaby Metro Club Bees
Burnaby Girls SC
Cliff Avenue United
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2001–2005 Portland Pilots 94 (53)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1999–2001 Vancouver UBC Alumni 4 (1)
2000 Vancouver Angels 19 (11)
2001–2002 Vancouver Breakers[6] 10 (9)
2006–2008 Vancouver Whitecaps FC[7] 21 (10)
2009–2010 FC Gold Pride 40 (16)
2011–2012 Western New York Flash 15 (10)
2013–2024 Portland Thorns 204 (82)
Total 313 (139)
International career
2001 Canada U-21[5] 4 (7)
2002 Canada U-19 48 (22)
2000–2023 Canada 331 (190)
Medal record
Women's soccer
Representing  Canada
Olympic Games
2020 Tokyo Team
2012 London Team
2016 Rio de Janeiro Team
CONCACAF W Championship
Winner 2010 Mexico
Runner-up 2002 Canada-United States
Runner-up 2006 United States
Runner-up 2018 United States
Runner-up 2022 Mexico
Pan American Games
2011 Guadalajara Team
2007 Rio de Janeiro Team
FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup
Runner-up 2002 Canada
* Club domestic league appearances and goals

Christine Margaret Sinclair (born June 12, 1983) is a retired Canadian professional soccer player who most recently played as a forward for the Portland Thorns of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) and, from 2000 until her retirement from international soccer in 2023, was a member of the Canadian national team. An Olympic gold medallist, two-time Olympic bronze medallist, CONCACAF champion, and 14-time winner of the Canada Soccer Player of the Year award,[8] Sinclair is officially the world's all-time leader for international goals scored for men or women with 190 goals, and is one of the most-capped international soccer players with 331 appearances.[9]

Having played over 20 seasons with the senior national team, Sinclair has participated in six FIFA Women's World Cups (United States 2003, China 2007, Germany 2011, Canada 2015, France 2019, Australia and New Zealand 2023) and four Olympic football tournaments (Beijing 2008, London 2012, Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020), captaining the national team to third-place finishes in 2012 and 2016 and first place in 2020. She is one of three players to score at five World Cup editions, alongside Marta and Cristiano Ronaldo.[10]

At the club level, Sinclair has won championships with three professional teams: the 2010 WPS Championship with FC Gold Pride, the 2011 WPS Championship with Western New York Flash, and the 2013, 2017, and 2022 NWSL Championships with Portland Thorns FC. She won the national collegiate Division I championship twice (2002, 2005) with the University of Portland.[11][12]

Sinclair was shortlisted for FIFA Women's World Player of the Year seven times (2005–08, 2010, 2012, and 2016), and was referred to by college teammate and international rival Megan Rapinoe as the best player to never win the award.[13] She received the Lou Marsh Trophy as Canada's athlete of the year in 2012, the first soccer player so honoured, and was a two-time recipient of the Bobbie Rosenfeld Award as Canada's female athlete of the year (2012, 2020). In September 2013, Sinclair was inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame and in June 2017, she was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada by Governor General David Johnston.[1][14] Sinclair received the Best FIFA Special Award in recognition of her status as the world's all-time leading scorer in 2022.[15] Sinclair was inducted to the Canada Soccer Hall of Fame in 2025, the first individual to have the five-year waiting period after retirement waived by the Canada Soccer Heritage and Hall of Fame Committee.[16]

  1. ^ a b "Canadian soccer icon Christine Sinclair appointed to Order of Canada". CBC Sports. June 30, 2017. Archived from the original on June 30, 2017. Retrieved June 30, 2017.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference CBC220802 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "Women's Olympic Football Tournament Tokyo 2020 – List of Players: Canada" (PDF). FIFA. August 5, 2021. p. 3. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 15, 2021. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
  4. ^ "Christine Sinclair". Team Canada - Official 2018 Olympic Team Website. September 19, 2011. Archived from the original on October 3, 2018. Retrieved October 13, 2017.
  5. ^ "Nordic Cup". February 23, 2020. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
  6. ^ "Christine Sinclair and Tiffeny Milbrett sign at Vancouver Whitecaps". Soccerway. February 13, 2006. Archived from the original on April 4, 2018. Retrieved October 14, 2017.
  7. ^ "Whitecaps Foundation". July 28, 2011. Archived from the original on July 28, 2011. Retrieved October 13, 2017.
  8. ^ "Christine Sinclair (CAN)". tab: Honours. Canada Soccer. Archived from the original on March 8, 2019. Retrieved May 28, 2019.
  9. ^ "Christine Sinclair: Canada striker beats all-time record". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on February 16, 2021. Retrieved January 29, 2020.
  10. ^ "Sinclair scores, but Canada loses to Dutch at Women's World Cup". Sportsnet. June 20, 2019. Archived from the original on February 16, 2021. Retrieved June 20, 2019.
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference up_bio was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ "Portland Soccer 2017 History and Records" (PDF). University of Portland. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 25, 2018. Retrieved January 24, 2018.
  13. ^ Kourabi, Mariam (December 6, 2023). "Christine Sinclair closes international chapter as Canada's storied pioneer". The Guardian. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
  14. ^ Zimonjic, Peter (June 30, 2017). "Prince Charles, Catherine O'Hara, Christine Sinclair among 99 recipients of Order of Canada". CBC News. Archived from the original on June 30, 2017. Retrieved June 30, 2017.
  15. ^ "Christine Sinclair honoured with special award by FIFA". SportsNet. Associated Press. January 17, 2022. Archived from the original on April 26, 2023. Retrieved April 25, 2023.
  16. ^ Davidson, Neil (April 30, 2025). "Canada Soccer Hall of Fame welcomes Sinclair, Matheson in Class of 2025". CBC. Retrieved May 1, 2025.
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