Sinclair to retire at season's end
Published
Canada’s greatest ever footballer is hanging up her cleats.
Christine Sinclair, international football’s all-time record goal scorer, announced Friday that she is retiring from the sport at the end of the National Women’s Soccer League season.
The 41-year-old native of Burnaby, B.C. is in her 12th season with the Portland Thorns, who wrap up their regular season on Nov. 1. With five matches to go in the season, the Thorns currently sit in a playoff spot in seventh in the table on 28 points, three clear of Bay FC in ninth.
Sinclair, who retired from international football after a 24-year senior career last December, has appeared in 17 games this season, scoring twice. Her 76 goals are third-most in NWSL history and Sinclair will finish her career in the top-10 all-time in appearances and minutes played.
"Soccer has been my passion since I was four years old and it has taken me on a journey I could never have imagined," Sinclair wrote in a post on Instagram. "The game led me to making the most impactful decision of my life: to attend the University of Portland. As I finish out this last ride, I want to say what a privilege it has been to represent this unique, beautiful, and passionate city that I will always call home."
Sinclair has won three NWSL Championships during her time with the Thorns, in 2013, 2017 and 2022, and two NWSL Shields, in 2016 and 2021, awarded to the club that finishes the regular season atop the table. Sinclair also won a pair of championships in the NWSL’s forerunner league, Women’s Professional Soccer (the WPS), in 2010 with FC Gold Pride and with the Western New York Flash in 2011.
With Canada, Sinclair won a gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, as well as a pair of bronze medals at London 2012 and Rio de Janeiro 2016, and a gold medal at the 2011 Pan Am Games in Guadalajara.
In 331 appearances for the CanWNT, Sinclair scored 190 times.
“Christine, your achievements both on and off the field have set a new standard in Canadian sport," Canada Soccer president Peter Augruso and CEO Kevin Blue said in a statement later on Friday. "You’ve paved the way for future generations, leaving behind a legacy that will continue to shape the future of soccer in Canada and around the world. Thank you for the unforgettable moments, for lifting Canadian soccer to new heights, and for your unwavering commitment to the game.”
The Thorns next see action on Saturday night when they visit the 12th-place San Diego Wave.
Sinclair will be honoured by the team at the Nov. 1 regular-season finale against Angel City.