CELEBRATIONS WILL HAVE TO WAIT FOR SINCLAIR
All-time leading scorer still focused on Olympic qualifier
The magnitude of Christine Sinclair’s accomplishment can at times be difficult to comprehend in a country where soccer is down the dial.
The greatest international goal scorer in the history of the game is not Pele, Diego Maradona, Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Mia Hamm or Abby Wambach, but instead a humble Canadian from Burnaby, B.C.
Sinclair woke up Thursday on top of the soccer world after breaking the record with her 184th and 185th international goals in an 11-0 win against St. Kitts and Nevis at the CONCACAF Olympic qualifying tournament in Edinburg, Texas on Wednesday.
Sinclair passed the retired Wambach for top spot on the alltime list, scoring to put Canada up 4-0 at the time.
Following the milestone, the accolades quickly rolled in.
Wambach was one of the first to acknowledge the accomplishment on Twitter and Instagram. A cascade of congratulatory messages followed, including one from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Canadian basketball legend Steve Nash, and former Toronto Blue Jays second baseman Roberto Alomar, who inspired Sinclair to wear the No. 12. Tennis legend Billie Jean
King also acknowledged the accomplishment.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino sent a letter to Sinclair congratulating her on the record and the role she has played growing the women’s game.
“I think it was something that, as I was approaching, I tried not to think about just because it made it more overwhelming,” Sinclair said Thursday. “But then to finally have scored the goal and to have broken the record, and to see everyone reach out, it’s been absolutely crazy and insane.
“To hear from the FIFA president, to hear from the prime minister and Billie Jean King, you start to realize how big the sport is and also the growth of the women’s game.
“People now care and are playing attention.”
Sinclair, 36, has been a member of the Canadian national team for the past 20 years.
She’s played 290 games for her country and competed in five World Cups and three Summer Olympics.
She and Brazilian legend Marta are the only two players to ever score in five World Cups.
Sinclair also has two Olympic bronze medals and is looking to help Canada qualify for its fourth consecutive Games in Tokyo this summer.
Canada faces Jamaica on Saturday and Mexico on Tuesday to round out its Group B play at the qualifying tournament. The top two teams in each group qualify for the semifinals.
The two finalists earn a trip to Tokyo for the 12-team Olympic tournament. The United States, Haiti, Costa Rica and Panama make up the other group.
With so much still to play for, Sinclair hasn’t had a lot of time to reflect on the magnitude of her accomplishment.
“I was able to call my family, and to be honest, that was about it. Then I tried to get some sleep. ... Once the tournament ends, that’s when I’ll be able to take it all in and absorb what has just happened.”
Sinclair made her senior Canadian debut at the 2000 Algarve Cup as a 16-year-old. She scored her first international goal in a 2-1 loss to Norway in March of that year.
She tops the goal-scoring list ahead of Americans Wambach, Hamm (158), Kristine Lilly (130) and German Birgit Prinz (128). Ali Daei of Iran holds the men’s record with 109 goals. Cristiano Ronaldo is next at 99.
During her time on the international scene, Sinclair has helped grow women’s soccer and has inspired countless players to take up the sport.
“The game has changed like night and day,” Sinclair said. “I remember my first World Cup, and I think back in Canada and around the world, no one knew what was happening.
“For me, the biggest thing is the opportunities that are there for soccer players. Now there are opportunities all over the world.
“It’s nowhere near the men, but it’s growing and evolving in the right direction, and just to be a small part of that is pretty special.”