The Canadian soccer legend has announced her retirement from the sport, marking her NWSL season with the Portland Thorns as her last.
Last year, Canadian soccer player Christine Sinclair announced her retirement from the national team, sending shockwaves through the Canadian soccer community, particularly in women’s soccer.
Sinclair’s career is unmatched, and her legacy is unparalleled. The forward has scored 190 goals for Canada, the record for most international goals in the sport’s history, men’s and women’s combined. Now 41 years old, she played 331 games for the national team.
“Her legacy impacted me as a player from as young as I can remember,” fourth-year Stingers soccer player Carolyne Beaudoin said. “She was the type of player everyone wanted to become.” .
Growing up in a soccer family, Sinclair started playing at the age of four. After impressive high school performances, she began her college soccer career with the Portland Pilots.
Sinclair played for some of the most prominent Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS) league clubs, the precursor to the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL), including the Vancouver Breakers, FC Gold Pride, and the Western New York Flash. However, her international career garnered the most attention.
“Her retirement from international soccer was definitely more impactful,” Beaudoin said “As a long-standing Team Canada captain, it’s still an adjustment to see the team without Christine.”
Sinclair made her senior debut for Canada at just 16 years old, scoring three goals in the 2000 Algarve Cup. Since then, she has been on an upward trajectory, netting seven goals in the 2002 Gold Cup and three in the 2003 Women’s World Cup, helping Canada finish fourth place.
Sinclair also participated in six Women’s World Cups and four Olympic Games, winning 21 team trophies during her senior career. Additionally, she claimed 40 individual awards, making her one of the most decorated players in the sport’s history.
However, it isn’t just her Olympic medals, international goals, or Golden Boot awards that make Sinclair a sports legend. It’s her leadership that caught the eye of soccer fans and players.
“As the all-time leading international goalscorer, that statistic made her stand out. But it wasn’t only about the goals; she was a captain I admired,” Beaudoin emphasized.
“The visibility she brought to Canada motivated me to pursue soccer as something more than just a hobby,” added Beaudoin.
Sinclair has impacted Canadian youth in a way that few other athletes have achieved. Her farewell Team Canada ceremony last year was a testament to this, with 190 youth players — one for each of her outstanding goals — lining up on the field. The match also set a record for the highest attendance at a Canadian women’s friendly, with 48,112 fans in the stands.
Coupled with a 1-0 win in her last game for Canada, we can only hope Sinclair ends her remarkable club career on another winning note, just as she has accustomed her fans to.
“I feel a sense of pride that my generation was able to witness her career,” Beaudoin said.
In an era when women’s soccer was still developing in Canada, Sinclair brought attention to the sport for thousands of girls worldwide.
“Retirement is inevitable, so I choose to see this as the end of an era and the beginning of the future of Canadian women’s soccer,” Beaudoin said.
