So much must go right for a player to be able to decide their last game is indeed their last game.
The exception rather than the rule, a chance to exit on your own terms and truly be celebrated sometimes isn’t even afforded to the greats. But Canada legend Christine Sinclair is one such exception in a career that has defied all expectations.
The world’s greatest ever international scorer took her bow in a 1-0 victory over Australia on Tuesday with 331 caps and 190 goals to her name. She put in a 58-minute shift before making way for fellow retiring legend, Sophie Schmidt.
– Subscribe to ESPN’s Women’s Football Podcast: The Far Post
Sinclair soaked up the applause of the 48,112-strong crowd, accepted hugs and adoration from her teammates and opponents alike at Vancouver’s BC Place — rebranded “Christine Sinclair Place” for the night. In terms of farewells, the only way it could have gone better was if she had scored.
Sinclair’s retirement is the latest in a string of departures from the women’s game which emphasise a changing of the guard globally. She debuted as a 16-year-old in 2000 and immediately began scoring wearing her beloved No. 12 — picked in honour of her favourite athlete growing up, Toronto Blue Jays second baseman Roberto Alomar.
The choice speaks to the time. A football role model was hard to come by, let alone a woman.
Sinclair was often the best player in a Canada team that was nowhere near the picture of consistency it has been in the last decade. Before two bronze medals and eventual gold at the Tokyo Olympics, the first decade of Sinclair’s national team career was hidden in the shadows. That didn’t stop her from scoring 90 goals between the ages of 16 and 24.
As Canada improved, Sinclair continued to shine. The only difference was more people saw it.
In the weeks since the announcement of her retirement, teammates, opponents, famous admirers, and regular fans alike have shared what Sinclair means to them. Each has revealed a little truth about the player and person she is. Perhaps no story was as emblematic of the 40-year-old as her own actions pregame.
With the spotlight placed firmly on Sinclair, you wouldn’t necessarily have known that Tuesday’s game was also celebrating two other retiring Canada legends: Schmidt and Erin McLeod. While the rest of her teammates wore t-shirts bearing her name and GOAT, Sinclair wore Schmidt’s jersey.
It shouldn’t come as a surprise. Sinclair hates the attention but more than that, knows her teammates deserve the recognition for their contributions to Canadian soccer as well.
She’s quiet and unassuming but with none of the negative connotations that come with players who are described as such. Not much is known about her personal life by design, but there is no indication that she is somehow boring and plain because of it. She’s just Christine. She plays football. She scores goals. She loves Canada. And she has and will continue to do anything to see the game succeed in her home.
