Christine Margaret Sinclair (born June 12, 1983) is a Canadian former professional soccer player. An Olympic gold medallist, two-time Olympic bronze medallist, CONCACAF champion, and 14-time winner of the Canada Soccer Player of the Year award, Sinclair is the world's all-time leader for international goals scored by men or women, with 190 goals, and is one of the most-capped international soccer players with 331 appearances.
Having played over 20 seasons with the senior national team, Sinclair has participated in six FIFA Women's World Cups (United States 2003, China 2007, Germany 2011, Canada 2015, France 2019, Australia - New Zealand 2023) and four Olympic football tournaments (Beijing 2008, London 2012, Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020), captaining the national team to third-place finishes in 2012 and 2016 and first place in 2020. She is one of four players to score at five World Cup editions, alongside Marta, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Lionel Messi.
At the club level, Sinclair has 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 won the national collegiate Division I championship twice (2002, 2005) with the University of Portland.
Sinclair was shortlisted for FIFA Women's World Player of the Year seven times (2005–08, 2010, 2012, and 2016), and was referred to by college teammate and international rival Megan Rapinoe as the best player to never win the award. She received the Lou Marsh Trophy as Canada's athlete of the year in 2012, the first soccer player so honoured, and was a two-time recipient of the Bobbie Rosenfeld Award as Canada's female athlete of the year (2012, 2020). In September 2013, Sinclair was inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame and in June 2017, she was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada by Governor General David Johnston. Sinclair received the Best FIFA Special Award in recognition of her status as the world's all-time leading scorer in 2022. Sinclair was inducted to the Canada Soccer Hall of Fame in 2025, the first individual to have the five-year waiting period after retirement waived by the Canada Soccer Heritage and Hall of Fame Committee.
Born in Burnaby, British Columbia, to Bill and Sandra Sinclair on June 12, 1983, Sinclair began playing soccer at the age of four for an under-7 team. Her father Bill Sinclair (1972) and uncles Brian (1972) and Bruce Gant (1990) were all Canadian amateur soccer champions while Brian and Bruce also played at the professional level. Her father Bill played for the University of British Columbia and the New Westminster Blues in the Pacific Coast Soccer League.
Christine Sinclair also played basketball and baseball as a youth. Playing in a Burnaby boys' baseball league, she made the local under-11 all-star team as a second baseman. With the team, she chose the number 12 as a tribute to Toronto Blue Jays' second baseman Hall of Famer, Roberto Alomar.
Sinclair was selected to British Columbia's under-14 girls all-star soccer team at age 11 and led club team Burnaby Girls Soccer Club to six league titles, five provincial titles, and two top-five national finishes. She attended Burnaby South Secondary School where she led the soccer team to three league championships. At age 15, she attended matches of the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup in Portland, Oregon. She played for Canada's under-18 national team before making her debut at the senior level at age 16 at the 2000 Algarve Cup where she scored three goals.
In 2001, Sinclair arrived at the University of Portland where she joined the soccer program. She recorded 23 goals and eight assists in her first season, leading all first-year students in NCAA Division I total scoring. She was named Freshman of the Year by Soccer America, and was a consensus All-America selection.
During her second season with the Pilots in 2002, Sinclair led Division I in goals with 26. She scored two goals during the national championship game against conference rival Santa Clara, the second of which was a golden goal that won the Pilots the national championship. Sinclair earned three different national Player of the Year honours, and was a finalist for the Hermann Trophy. Named West Coast Conference Player of the Year, she earned All-American honours for the second consecutive year. Following her performances for the Canadian national teams and American collegiate soccer, she was named by The Globe and Mail as one of the 25 most influential people in Canadian sports the same year.
Sinclair chose to redshirt the 2003 season to play for Canada at the 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup. She returned to Portland in 2004 and scored 22 goals for the Pilots. Following the season, she was named West Coast Conference (WCC) Player of the Year, received All-American honours, and was awarded the Hermann Trophy.
During Sinclair's senior year at Portland, she set an all-time Division I goal-scoring record with 39. She capped off her collegiate career with two goals in a 4–0 rout of UCLA in the national title game. This performance also gave her a career total of 25 goals in NCAA tournament play, also a record. She was named WCC Player of the Year becoming the second player in conference history to be honoured three times. Sinclair was also named Academic All-American of the Year by ESPN The Magazine after graduating with a 3.75 grade point average in life sciences. She was awarded the M.A.C. Hermann Trophy, becoming the fourth player and third woman to win it in back-to-back years. As a result of her record-setting season, Sinclair went on to win the Honda Sports Award as the nation's top soccer player, as well as the Honda-Broderick Cup, as the college woman athlete of the year. She became the third soccer player to win the award, joining Mia Hamm and Cindy Daws. Sinclair finished her collegiate career with 110 goals and 32 assists in 94 games. Her 110 goals scored total is the second most of any player in NCAA history.
Sinclair started her senior career as a teenager with Vancouver UBC Alumni where she won Metro Soccer League titles, the BC Cup, and a runners up medal at Canada Soccer's 2000 National Championships. She played youth soccer and high school soccer at the same time and got her first call up to Canadian youth team in 1999. 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 2000, Sinclair helped the Vancouver Angels finish in fourth place in the WPSL, although she missed the first few matches of the season while representing Canada at the 2000 Concacaf Gold Cup. She scored her first WPSL goal on 15 July 2000 in a 2-1 loss to the Los Angeles Ajax at Coquitlam Town Centre.
Sinclair was selected by FC Gold Pride eighth overall in the 2008 WPS International Draft for the inaugural season of top-tier American league Women's Professional Soccer (WPS). Despite her team-leading six goals, FC Gold Pride finished last in the regular season standings during the 2009 season.
Leading into the 2010 season, FC Gold Pride made several changes to their roster including adding Brazilian international Marta, French international Camille Abily, and United States national team defender and midfielder Shannon Boxx. During the team's home opener of the 2010 season against 2009 WPS champion, Sky Blue FC, Sinclair scored twice leading the team to a 3–1 win. She was named WPS Player of the Week for week 14 of the season after scoring two goals against second-place team, Philadelphia Independence. The team dominated the season, finishing first during the regular season after defeating the Philadelphia Independence 4–1 with goals from Sinclair, Marta, and Kelley O'Hara.
As the regular season champion, FC Gold Pride earned a direct route to the championship playoff game where they faced the Philadelphia Independence. Sinclair contributed two goals to FC Gold Pride's 4–0 win to clinch the WPS Championship. Despite their successful season, the club ceased operations on November 16, 2010, due to not meeting the league's financial reserve requirement.