Thorns FC forward Christine Sinclair has been awarded many accolades in her time, but Friday brought a whole new one.
The government of Canada announced today that Sinclair has been appointed as an Officer of the Order of Canada, receiving the nation’s second-highest civilian honor.
Since its founding in 1967, The Order of Canada has been reserved to recognize “outstanding achievement, dedication to the community and service to the nation” by those who have made lifelong contributions in their field.
The Canadian National Team Captain was humbled by the awarding of the prestigious honor.
“I think what’s special for me is that this goes beyond soccer,” Sinclair said in an interview with the Canadian Soccer Federation.“I am a very, very proud Canadian, I am proud of where I am from, and to be recognized in this nature is surreal. It’s not something you can dream about happening to you…I can dream of winning a World Cup or an Olympic Gold Medal, and that’s my job, but to have your country recognize you – I don’t even know what to say.”
Since 2013, Sinclair has locked down the front line for Thorns FC. In her five-year NWSL career, she has scored 27 goals and recorded 7 assists over the course of 74 regular-season games for Portland. Despite her notable accomplishments as a member of the Thorns, Sinclair’s contributions to the Canadian National team have been even more impressive.
Over 17 years, the thirty-four-year-old has scored 168 goals in 259 appearances for Canada Soccer’s Women’s National Team. She’s been named Canada Soccer’s Player of the Year 13 times and has lead the country to two Olympic Bronze Medals, as well as a CONCACAF Championship victory. She also as one of the top all-time goal scorers in the history of women’s soccer, second to only Abby Wambach.
Canadian Soccer General Secretary, Peter Montopoli, remarked, “There’s no one person that’s more deserving than Christine. For all that she’s done for the sport – and not only women’s soccer, but soccer in general.”
“She’s been a tremendous inspiration, a role model for Canadians, and this will continue long after she’s finished playing, given what she has contributed to our country, for sport, and for women’s soccer.”
