In the world of football, it’s very easy to get drowned by statistics, opinions, and rivalries
A quick doom-scroll on any form of social media and you begin to lose all sense of what made you fall in love with football in the first place. It’s the players, the moments, the company; all these things can be lost or side-tracked by the endless online circus. So, allow me to regale you with a tale.
The summer of 2015. Jason Derulo is celebrating yet another British number one single, the Golden State Warriors have just won their first NBA title, while everyone was raving about the new Jurassic World film.
For me, all the joys of the world were locked away for a few months as I was “concentrating” on my A-Levels. Being my rebellious little self, I decided to ditch the revision on binomial distributions, and instead turned the TV on to try and cure my boredom.
Being the night owl that I am, I couldn’t find much apart from re-runs off British sitcoms that had passed their best before date. So, I delved further, and to my surprise, I found live sport. Canada vs. Switzerland. Women’s Football hadn’t been on my radar before, but when I saw it was a round of 16 game in the World Cup, I thought I might as well give it a go.
My blasé attitude to the game quickly turned into one of intrigue, and I delved into a bit of research. Some players had stood out in the early phases. Lia Wälti, Noelle Maritz, and Ana-Maria Crnogorčević looked threatening, but a young Kadeisha Buchanan was holding them out in the Canadian defence.
But there was one player out of all 22 players playing underneath the Vancouver sun, who stood out most. The way she would bark out commands, the way she could hold the ball up with ease, the way she brought others into play, but importantly, the way the 55,000 strong crowd was responding to her. Just who was she?!
Her name was Christine Sinclair. Canadian captain, and as I was about to find out, a woman who transcended the sport. While Sinclair wouldn’t win the World Cup on home soil, it was her fourth participation at football’s biggest festival, and you quickly realise just what an awe-inspiring individual the forward is.
A Canadian legend
While the biggest accolade would evade her grasp, she did have plenty of success in other tournaments. There was a CONCACAF Championship, a Pan American Games title, and three Cyprus Cup triumphs (the one we all want).
But the highlight of her Canadian journey would come in 2021, where, in front of an empty stadium, Canada won an Olympic gold medal. Sinclair would only score one goal in Japan, and was substituted before the penalty shootout in the final, but seeing her with a gold medal around her neck, you could see what this moment meant. Canada meant the world to her, and in a way, she finally had something she could give back to the country that gave her so much.
She would go on to play in the 2019 and 2023 World Cups before calling time on her international career last December. It was in the stadium as that Switzerland round of 16 win, and of course, she would assist the only goal in a 1-0 win over Australia. On the hour mark, she walked off the pitch for Canada for the very last time.
331 international caps and 190 international goals, the most of any player in football history. Cristiano Ronaldo who? A 23-year career in the red of Canada that will most likely never be repeated again.
Football bids farewell to one of the best to ever play the game
While one chapter may be over, fans of Sincy always had her club career to fall back on. But, in September, she announced that she would retire from all forms of football at the end of the season. To many of us, that final game will be like when Voldermort’s last horcrux was destroyed; we know the end is coming, and there’s nothing we can do to stop it.
Now, Sinclair is on a farewell tour with her beloved Portland Thorns, for who she’s made over 200 appearances for. We’re only a few games away from the end of an almighty career, and while we can discuss her accolades and trophies all day, it’s what she represents that makes Sinclair an icon of the game.
We live in an age now where some footballers live their lives on social media. Whether it’s day in the lives, or the latest TikTok jig, or sharing their private lives, the online footprint of some of the world’s stars is bigger than Queen’s back catalogue.
But Sinclair represents the footballer of old, one of a Pro Evolution Soccer era compared to an EAFC one. When it comes to her life outside of football, we don’t know too much about how the veteran lives her life, and there’s something refreshing about that.
In many ways, the retirement of Sinclair signals the end of an era in women’s football. While the game is growing and more players are becoming household names, that first wave of superstars is reaching its final act. Sinclair, Alex Morgan, Kelley O’Hara, Toni Duggan. Without these players, the game we all love would not be what it is today.
From a selfish point of view, it is a shame that we haven’t seen Sinclair move over the pond and make arbitrary loan move to a team like Tottenham or West Ham, à la Alex Morgan. As a result, there may be a danger that supporters on these shores don’t have Sinclair in their pantheon of greats.
In her native Canada, however, Sinclair is widely regarded as the greatest Canadian player ever, and that is reflected in her non-footballing accolades. The striker has a place on Canada’s Walk of Fame and has been appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada, the second highest award a Canadian can receive.
This eulogy could go on further, from teammate tributes to some of her best goals, because Sinclair has changed the face of the women’s game. No one had her gravitas when she stepped onto the pitch, and she would command the respect of everyone from players, to staff, to fans.
I started working in women’s football in 2021, and I have been fortunate enough to write for many publications, magazines, appear in documentaries, while I’m also lucky enough to conduct exclusive interviews and follow my country. Not to mention meeting and becoming friends with number of incredible people that try to give the women’s game the respect it deserves.
None of this, however, is possible if it wasn’t for that night in June 2015 where I ditched my maths revision to watch some football, and it was the start of a journey that I am still enjoying. The flair and skill of Christine Sinclair drew me in, and I’m still there today. While her retirement fills me with sadness, it also serves as a reminder that without her, this game wouldn’t be what it is today.
So, thank you, Christine Sinclair, for the memories, the goals, the highs and the lows. This game and I will be eternally grateful for everything that you’ve done.
