Christine Sinclair

Lore & Background

Sinclair began playing soccer at age four for an under-7 team. Her father Bill and uncles Brian and Bruce Gant were all Canadian amateur soccer champions; Brian and Bruce also played professionally. She also played basketball and baseball as a youth, and at age 11 was selected to British Columbia's under-14 girls all-star soccer team. She attended Burnaby South Secondary School, leading the soccer team to three league championships, and made her senior national team debut at age 16 at the 2000 Algarve Cup, scoring three goals.

At the University of Portland, Sinclair won the national collegiate Division I championship twice (2002, 2005). She set an all-time Division I goal-scoring record with 39 goals in her senior year and finished her collegiate career with 110 goals and 32 assists in 94 games. She won the Hermann Trophy in back-to-back years and the Honda-Broderick Cup as the college woman athlete of the year.

At the club level, Sinclair 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 was shortlisted for FIFA Women's World Player of the Year seven times and was referred to by Megan Rapinoe as the best player to never win the award.

Reader's Guide

Christine Sinclair's significance lies in her unmatched international goal-scoring record and her longevity at the highest level. With 190 goals in 331 appearances for Canada, she surpassed all male and female players globally. She captained Canada to Olympic bronze in 2012 and 2016 and to gold in 2020, and is one of only four players—alongside Marta, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Lionel Messi—to score at five World Cup editions. Her 14 Canada Soccer Player of the Year awards underscore her sustained dominance. Sinclair received the Lou Marsh Trophy as Canada's athlete of the year in 2012, the first soccer player so honoured, and was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2017. She received the Best FIFA Special Award in 2022 for her goal-scoring record. Her induction into the Canada Soccer Hall of Fame in 2025 came with the five-year waiting period waived, reflecting her extraordinary impact. Sinclair's legacy is that of a record-breaking pioneer who elevated Canadian soccer on the world stage.

Did You Know?

• Sinclair scored 190 international goals, the most by any player—male or female—in history.
• She is one of four players to score at five FIFA World Cup editions, alongside Marta, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Lionel Messi.
• Sinclair won the Lou Marsh Trophy as Canada's athlete of the year in 2012, the first soccer player to receive the honour.
• She was inducted into the Canada Soccer Hall of Fame in 2025, with the five-year waiting period waived.