Thorns FC forward Christine Sinclair has been named the Canada Soccer Player of the Decade by the Canada Soccer Association after an unparalleled 10 years of world-class performances in which she continued to build a legacy as of one of Canada’s greatest athletes of all time. A Concacaf champion in 2010 and back-to-back Olympic medal winner from London 2012 and Rio 2016, a two-time NWSL Championship winner, and seven-time Canada Soccer Canadian Player of the Year.
As the captain of the Thorns, Sinclair is the club’s all-time leader in goals (49), games played (128) and minutes played (11,165) and helped the team win the NWSL Championship in 2013 and 2017 as well as the NWSL Shield in 2016.
Sinclair was also a four-time professional club playoff champion, three-time FIFA Women’s World Cup participant, four-time Concacaf medal winner, and four-time finalist for the FIFA World Player of the Year. She scored 64 goals for club and 84 goals for country, notably moving within two goals of setting the world’s all-time international goalscoring record.
“Christine Sinclair is a once-in-a-generation athlete that has been at the heart of Canadian sport for over 20 years, but what she accomplished in the past 10 years has changed the sport forever in our country,” said Steven Reed, Canada Soccer President. “Christine is the Canada Soccer Player of the Decade and unquestionably one of the greatest and most-loved athletes Canada has ever watched.
Beyond sport, she was the first soccer player appointed as an Officer of the Order of Canada and the first to have her name engraved on Canada’s Walk of Fame. She received the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012, earned honorary degrees from Simon Fraser University in 2013 and Kwantlen Polytechnic University in 2015, and was honored by Women Against Multiple Sclerosis for her outstanding charity work. She was also one of four founding members of iS4 alongside teammates Karina LeBlanc, Diana Matheson and Rhian Wilkinson, a group dedicated to empowering others through workshops, speaking engagements, team building, and soccer camps.
Since 2000, Sinclair is Canada Soccer’s all-time record holder in goals scored (183) and international appearances (289), including 10 goals in 21 matches at five FIFA Women’s World Cups and 11 goals in 15 matches at three Olympic Football Tournaments. She is a 14-time Canadian Player of the Year and 16-time Canada goalscoring leader. On 29 January 2020, she plans to continue those goalscoring exploits as Canada vies for a spot at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games through the Concacaf Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament.
TEAM HONORS – International (2010-2019)
- Concacaf champion, 2010
- Olympic bronze medal, 2012 and 2016
- FIFA Women’s World Cup participant, 2011, 2015, 2019
- Pan American Games gold medal, 2011
- Cyprus Cup winner, 2010 and 2011
- Algarve Cup winner, 2016
- Four Nations winner in Brazil, 2010
- Four Nations winner in China, 2015
- Concacaf silver medal, 2012, 2016, 2018
TEAM HONOURS – National (2010-2019)
- Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame, London 2012 team
- Canadian Press Team of the Year, 2012
- CBC Sports Team of the Year, 2012
- Postmedia Team of the Year, 2012 and 2016
TEAM HONORS – Club (2010-2019)
- WPS Championship winner, 2010 and 2011
- WPS regular season winner, 2010 and 2011
- NWSL Championship winner, 2013 and 2017
- NWSL Shield winner, 2016
INDIVIDUAL HONORS – International (2010-2019)
- Canadian Player of the Year, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2018
- Finalist FIFA World Player of the Year, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2016
- Olympic Games Top Scorer, 2012
- Concacaf Women’s Olympic Qualifying Top Scorer, 2012
- Concacaf Best XI, 2016 and 2018
- Four Nations Yongchuan Cup MVP, 2011
- Canada single-season goalscoring record, 23 goals in 2012
- Canada single-season assists record, 9 assists in 2010
- Canada consecutive starts record, 43 matches from 2013 to 2016
- Canada Soccer Centennial All-Time XI, 2012
- Global Ambassador, FIFA Live Your Goals campaign
- Olympic flag bearer, London 2012 Closing Ceremonies
- Second-place all-time in international goals scored
INDIVIDUAL HONORS – National (2010-2019)
- Officer of the Order of Canada, 2017
- Canada’s Walk of Fame, 2013
- Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, 2012
- Lou Marsh Trophy, 2012
- Bobbie Rosenfeld Award, 2012
- AthletesCAN True Sport Award, 2019
- Air Canada Athlete of the Year, 2012
- CBC Canada’s Athlete of the Year, 2012
- Sportsnet Athlete of the Year, 2012
- Yahoo! Canada Buzziest Canadian of the Year, 2012
- CAAWS Most Influential Women, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016
- Globe & Mail Power 50, 2011 and 2013
- Women Against MS, 2019
INDIVIDUAL HONORS – Professional Clubs (2010-2019)
- WPS Championship MVP, 2011
- WPS Best XI, 2011
- WPS goalscoring leader, 2011
- WPS assists leader, 2010 and 2011
- NWSL Second XI, 2013 and 2018
- Thorns FC Supporters’ Player of the year, 2018
- Thorns FC Most Valuable Player, 2013
- Thorns FC Golden Boot, 2017
- Second-place all-time in NWSL goals scored
