‘Generational talent’ Chukwu filling the net for Canada at U20 World Cup

Christine Sinclair’s all-time mark of 190 international goals won’t fall any time soon, but another one of the Canadian legend’s records was just beaten by a teenager.

Last week, 17-year-old Annabelle Chukwu netted a hat trick while representing her country at the 2024 FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup in Colombia, bringing her total to 29 goals for Canada at the youth levels. That mark broke Sinclair’s Canadian youth record of 27 goals, which had stood for over 20 years.

And just like Sinclair, Chukwu is quick to turn the focus to her team.

“The goals came second,” Chukwu told TSN. “It was more about how I can help the team to progress in the tournament, and if that's scoring goals, then that would be a plus.”

Chukwu’s record-setting tally came in her 34^th match for her country across the under-15, under-17 and under-20 levels. The forward, who was born in England but grew up playing soccer in Ottawa, set the mark as part of a hat trick against Fiji in a group-stage match at the U20 World Cup. Sinclair scored her 27 goals in 19 youth matches in under-19 and under-21 competitions.  

“She's a great young player,” Cindy Tye, Canada’s under-20 coach, said of Chukwu on a media call Tuesday. “She's obviously very strong. She's a physical kid, and she loves to take players on one on one. She's not afraid to turn under pressure and get in and around the box. And she obviously has a great knack for finishing in those areas.”

Soccer pundits in Canada have been quick to draw comparisons to Sinclair with other rising stars, such as when Jessie Fleming and Jordyn Huitema were coming up through the ranks. And while many may hastily seek to anoint her “The Next Sinclair,” Chukwu undeniably shares other traits with the former Canadian captain outside of the goal-scoring record.

She is quiet by nature and often brief in her answers. She lights up when talking about her teammates, grinning when asked about her Steph Curry-esque “going to sleep” celebration she shared with Renee Watson and Jadea Collin after she scored her first goal against Fiji.

But those who have been close with Chukwu on her soccer journey also note another similarity to  Sinclair – an uncanny knack to finish in front of the goal.

“Her special ability is a calmness around the box, the ability to almost freeze time around her and select the right shot at the right time, with the right power,” Bill Michalopulos, president of Ottawa South United Soccer and Chukwu’s first coach with the club, told TSN.

“I don't want to use the word supernatural, but I'm going to use it. It's something unique… She’s a generational talent.”

At 17, Chukwu still has several years left in her youth career to add to her record. She has scored 10 times this year for Canada’s U17 and U20 teams and leads her country with four goals and two assists at this year’s Under-20 World Cup.

She also scored the goal that secured Canada’s spot in the U20 World Cup, recording a brace in extra time of the third-place match against Costa Rica at the 2023 CONCACAF Women’s Under-20 Championship.

Chukwu is the youngest player on the current Canadian under-20 squad, but Tye believes her skill set belies her youth.

“Technically, tactically, she's definitely of age,” Tye said. “She's a physical player and a physical kid, so that's not a disadvantage to her, even though she's a little bit younger. She's also a kid that's very, very competitive, so she's not scared about who she's up against, or that she's playing with or against older kids. She's a pretty special kid that way.”

Chukwu admits she’s somewhat surprised by the success she has been able to achieve at such a young age, including breaking the Canadian record.

“Looking back, I wouldn't think it's something that I would accomplish. But I'm proud to be on a list with people that I look up to and admire,” she said.

Chukwu has helped lead the Canadian U20 team to the knockout round at the Under-20 World Cup for the first time in 10 years. Canada finished third in Group B with a 1-1-1 record, level with France with four points but losing the tiebreaker on goal differential.

Canada advanced as one of the four-best third-place teams, and will face Spain in the round of 16 on Wednesday (live on TSN at 5:30 p.m. ET / 2:30 p.m. PT).  The Spaniards are the defending under-20 and under-17 world champions.

“As a team, we've committed to being one per cent better in all areas,” Chukwu said. “For us, it's about sticking to our own processes and sticking to what we know.”

For Chukwu, that means drawing on her previous experience. Despite being the youngest amongst her teammates, Chukwu is not new to the World Cup stage, having represented Canada at the 2022 FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup in India. Chukwu scored her team’s lone goal in a 1-1 draw against France in the opening group-stage match, something she highlights as a standout moment in her young career.

While Canada failed to make it to the knockout round in that tournament, Chukwu is still able to take away lessons from that World Cup.

“I think just having the accumulation of playing against top opponents in the world, and also understanding the pressure that comes with that,” she said. “It helps with the pressure part and the nervousness, just knowing that I've done it before.”

Chukwu’s early success is even more impressive considering she only started playing soccer at the age of 10. Born in Gravesend, England, Chukwu and her family moved to Ottawa in 2016, when she was nine. Soon after, she and her twin, Isabelle, picked up soccer.

“I didn't know how far I was going to go with the sport,” she said. “At the end of the day, I'm super grateful that I came here, because I don't think I would have taken up the sport in the way I did if I didn't come here.”

Michalopulos remembers receiving a call from a fellow coach at Ottawa South United (OSU) who had seen Chukwu play soccer at the school playground. He said he knew how remarkable she was within 30 minutes of her coming to a tryout.

“It was pretty obvious that she's going to be a force to be reckoned with. There was something magical about her… She was leaps and bounds ahead,” he said.

Michalopulos coached Chukwu at the under-12 level. He recalls that in her first year, the team played around 20 games. She scored more than 90 goals.

That prodigious pace continued as she moved up age groups and levels. In the 2021 season of the under-14 Ontario Player Development League, she netted 46 goals in 15 games for OSU. The following season, she scored 39 times in 17 matches.

David Fox coached Chukwu at the U13, U14, and U15 levels at OSU. As teams would start to double and triple team Chukwu in coverage, Fox remembers how she would still find a way to score.

“A lot of players need constant reassurance and constant information about what comes next… She solved problems herself,” Fox told TSN. “It wasn't a necessity to continuously fix things for her and explain things. She quietly went about it.”

In the summer of 2022, Annabelle and Isabelle received their first call to represent Canada at the CONCACAF Girls’ Under-15 Championship. Annabelle scored in her first-ever game for Canada, a 5-0 win over Jamaica, and then assisted Isabelle in the second match, a 4-1 victory versus Puerto Rico.

“I was just super happy and proud to get to that point and see what it actually means to represent the country,” Chukwu said.

Being able to share the moment with her twin was an irreplaceable experience for Annabelle. During the COVID lockdowns, the two would train together in their home to keep their skills sharp.

“Getting to train with her every day and pushing each other to be the best versions of ourselves – I feel like it meant the world seeing that all our hard work was fruitful,” Chukwu said.

The 2022 season proved to be a milestone year for the young striker. Not only did she make the jump to join the Ontario National Development Centre, but near the end of the year, she received her first call-up to camp for the senior national team at just 15.

“It was super unexpected. I didn't think that could be possible at that time,” she admits.

While Chukwu did not see any time on the pitch during that international window, she said training in the environment was an invaluable experience.

“Just seeing the level of play, how the speed of play is quicker and different and just having to always be one or two steps ahead… It’s really inspiring in a way. That's where I want to go,” she said.

Chukwu received a second call to senior team camp for the Olympic qualifiers against Jamaica last September, but she’s still awaiting her first cap with the team, something she cites as her primary goal.

Once the U20 World Cup wraps, Chukwu will return to the University of Notre Dame, where she’s playing in her freshman season. She played two games for the Irish before leaving for international duties, scoring in her collegiate debut on Aug. 15.

“It's been really good so far, definitely stepping out of my comfort zone and going to a new country with a bunch of new people, and just getting to grow in ways that I didn't before,” she said.

There has been a growing number of Canadian players forgoing college to turn professional at a younger age. Two of Chukwu’s current under-20 teammates, Olivia Smith and Amanda Allen, made the jump to the pro ranks at 18.

But Chukwu felt strongly about prioritizing her education along with her soccer career. Both her parents are healthcare professionals, and she is currently studying biological science.

Chukwu still aspires to turn professional after college. While she doesn’t name a specific league, she says the challenge of playing overseas is appealing to her. But she also doesn’t want to get ahead of herself.

“I'm not someone who looks too far into the future,” she said. “I just like taking the days, the months as they come.”