Christine Sinclair

Born on June 12, 1983, in Burnaby, British Columbia, Christine Sinclair began her soccer journey at age four. Her early years also included playing basketball and baseball. By age 11, she was selected for British Columbia’s under-14 girls all-star soccer team. She led her club team, Burnaby Girls Soccer Club, to six league and five provincial titles, along with two top-five national finishes. Sinclair attended Burnaby South Secondary School, guiding her soccer team to three league championships. At 15, she attended the 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Portland, Oregon. She joined Canada’s under-18 national team before making her senior national team debut at 16 in the 2000 Algarve Cup, where she scored three goals. Her collegiate career at the University of Portland, starting in 2001, saw her become a four-time All-American, leading Division I in goals with 26 in 2002. She secured the national collegiate Division I championship twice, in 2002 and 2005. Sinclair twice received the Hermann Trophy as the nation’s top soccer player in 2004 and 2005. She set an all-time Division I goal-scoring record with 39 goals in her senior year and won the Honda-Broderick Cup as the college woman athlete of the year.

Sinclair’s professional career began with Vancouver UBC Alumni, where she won Metro Soccer League titles and the BC Cup. She also played for the Vancouver Angels in the Women’s Premier Soccer League (2000) and the Vancouver Breakers/Vancouver Whitecaps in the USL W-League. In 2008, she was drafted by FC Gold Pride in the WPS, leading them to the 2010 WPS Championship. She then moved to Western New York Flash in 2011, winning another WPS Championship and being named MVP of the final. From 2013 to 2024, Sinclair played for Portland Thorns FC in the NWSL, captaining the team to NWSL Championships in 2013, 2017, and 2022. She also led the Thorns to the NWSL Shield in 2016 and 2021, and the NWSL Challenge Cup in 2021. She announced her retirement from club soccer in September 2024 and was honored as the first inductee into the Portland Thorns Hall of Fame, with her number 12 jersey retired in October 2025.

Her international career with the Canadian national team spanned from 2000 to 2023, during which she became the world’s all-time leader for international goals with 190. She participated in six FIFA Women’s World Cups (2003, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019, 2023) and four Olympic football tournaments (2008, 2012, 2016, 2020). Sinclair captained Canada to Olympic bronze medals in 2012 and 2016, and an Olympic gold medal in 2020. She was the Canadian flag bearer for the closing ceremonies of the 2012 London Olympics. Sinclair won the CONCACAF Women’s Championship in 2010 and gold at the Pan American Games in 2011. She received the Lou Marsh Trophy as Canada’s athlete of the year in 2012 and the Bobbie Rosenfeld Award twice (2012, 2020). She was inducted into Canada’s Walk of Fame in 2013 and appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2017. In 2022, she received the Best FIFA Special Award for her goal-scoring record. She officially retired from international soccer in December 2023 and will be inducted into the Canada Soccer Hall of Fame in 2025.