Christine Sinclair, Soccer By Canadian Olympic Committee

Christine Sinclair

Birthdate: June 12, 1983

Hometown: Burnaby, B.C.

Residence: Burnaby, B.C.

Height: 5’9’’ / 175 cm

Weight: 150lbs. / 68 kg

BIOGRAPHY

“She is definitely the best player in the history of Canadian soccer, male or female,” Head Coach Even Pellerud told the Canadian Olympic Committee.

No soccer player has had as big an impact on the women’s game in Canada than Christine Sinclair. The recognized face of women’s soccer, Sinclair is Canada’s all-time leading scorer in international matches. Since 2000, she has found the back of the net in key games 87 times. Sinclair will aim to increase that total while leading the team into Beijing this summer for its first-ever Olympic appearance.

The striker from Burnaby, B.C. is the captain and the cornerstone of the team. Her skills in the sport are known throughout the world. Sinclair is regularly nominated to the world’s list of top women’s soccer players by FIFA, soccer’s governing body. More than once, Sinclair has made the shortlist for FIFA’s World Player of the Year award. In 2002, she finished sixth in voting. Here in Canada, Sinclair has been the women’s Player of the Year for 2007, 2006 and 2005. The honour is announced by the Canadian Soccer Association, with voting by media and coaches across Canada. Sinclair leads by example, with a deft scoring touch that has been on display internationally all through this decade.

Pellerud said Sinclair is extremely important to the team. He briefly ran down the skills that Sinclair possesses, including being clever on the ball and smart off the ball. She is a goal scorer, but simultaneously a selfless star by putting the team first. He said Sinclair has a complete understanding of the game and is very experienced for her age (24).

On March 12, 2000, at the age of 16, Sinclair played her first match with Canada’s senior team. Two days later, Sinclair scored the team’s only goal in a 2-1 loss. Only two months later, on June 28, she notched a hat trick with three goals against Guatemala. The following year marked mostly friendly international competition, but included one major tournament. The Algarve Cup is held each year in Portugal with 12 teams invited to compete. Though Canada didn’t fare well, Sinclair scored four goals in three matches.

In 2002 at the Algarve Cup, Sinclair again scored four goals and though she played in four matches, she scored twice in two of them. That year proved to be a watershed for Sinclair. Sinclair scored four goals in a single match against Haiti in the CONCACAF Gold Cup. In that tournament, held in Vancouver, she finished second with Canada among nations from North and South America and the Caribbean.

Sinclair then joined the Under-19 team to play in the inaugural FIFA U-19 Women’s World Championship. Not only did she collect a silver medal, Sinclair netted 10 goals for Canada. An amazing five of them came in a 6-2 victory over England on Aug. 22, 2002. In this tournament, she was awarded the Golden Boot as top scorer and the Golden Ball as MVP. She finished off the year being named the 2002 Sport BC Senior Athlete of the Year and, more impressively, finished sixth in voting for FIFA’s top women’s player in the world. Sinclair’s name appeared in the Globe and Mail’s list of the top 25 most influential people in Canadian sports.

Her scoring prowess would not let up. At the FIFA Women's World Cup USA in 2003, Sinclair scored three times in six matches. In 2004 at the CONCACAF Olympic Qualifications, she had three- and two-goal games for Canada. In both 2004 and 2005, Sinclair played in NCAA Division I soccer for the University of Portland, and won back-to back MAC Hermann Trophies. (This award, voted by coaches, is given annually to the top men’s and women’s college soccer players.)

The year 2005 marked the first time that Sinclair was elected Canada’s women’s soccer player of the year. The following year, she earned the same distinction. In 2006, Sinclair was also most valuable player in the W-League Championship (United Soccer Leagues) as a member of the Vancouver Whitecaps and also helped Canada to a second-place finish at the CONCACAF Gold Cup.

In 2007-2008, Sinclair helped lead the talented Canadian women’s soccer team to new levels of success. The captain scored a barrage of goals at the 2007 Pan American Games with two hat tricks and eight goals total in six matches. In one game versus Jamaica, she had her second four-goal game. Overall, Canada reached podium at the Games, claiming a bronze medal.

On June 3, 2007, Sinclair scored her 72nd goal for Canada, becoming the country’s all-time leading scorer. On Aug. 30, she played her 100th international game with Canada’s senior team. Just the third player to do so, she was only 24. She went on to score three goals in three games at the 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup in China. Overall that year she played in 14 matches, scoring 16 times. She helped the team rise to ninth in the world according to FIFA rankings. She ended the year winning Canada women’s player of the year and being nominated for FIFA world player of the year as well.

In early April this year, Sinclair guided her squad to a second-place finish in the qualification tournament in Mexico. She will taste her first Olympic competition in Beijing. “When (Christine) is on, she makes her teammates believe that we can beat all other teams,” said Pellerud.