Christine Sinclair to retire at end of NWSL season. Canadian soccer star ends career at 41

Christine Sinclair, a longtime NWSL star with the Portland Thorns and the greatest player in the history of Canadian soccer, announced Friday she will retire at the conclusion of the 2024 season.

Portland (8-4-9) currently sits in seventh place in NWSL standings. The NWSL regular season ends Nov. 3 and playoffs begin Nov. 9.

Sinclair's retirement announcement comes on the heels of the same news from American star Alex Morgan, who played her final NWSL game Sept. 8. But Sinclair's announcement was less of a surprise than Morgan's. The world's all-time scoring leader, who turned 41 in June, retired from international play last October.

"Soccer has been my passion since I was 4 years old and it has taken me on a journey I could have never imagined," Sinclair wrote in her announcement released on social media. "... I still have the same passion as that young 4 year old growing up in Burnaby, BC, but as I hang up my playing boots, I vow to channel it in a new way.

"To continue growing the game I love, while inspiring the next generation."

Sinclair has been a fixture in the Portland soccer scene for more than two decades.

As an All-American at the University of Portland from 2001-04 she led the Pilots to two national titles (2002 and 2004), helping jumpstart the soccer craze throughout the Rose City.  When the NWSL launched in 2013 Sinclair was a natural fit for the Thorns. She told the league she was only interested in playing in Portland and got her wish; last season she was one of five NWSL “originals” who had been with just one team for the league’s entire 11-year history. 

One of the most feared strikers in the history of the game, Sinclair is the all-time leading goal-scorer in international soccer, men’s and women’s, with 190 goals in 331 appearances. (For comparison’s sake, Cristiano Ronaldo has 132 goals in 214 matches for Portugal.) In the NWSL, Sinclair has scored 79 career goals — 64 in the regular season —across 12 seasons. That's third-most all time in NWSL history, behind Sam Kerr (77) and Lynn Williams (67).

Sinclair’s international highlight came in summer 2021, when she led Canada to the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics. That accomplishment drew praise from soccer greats across the globe, a testament to the respect Sinclair has garnered over a star-studded career. She also helped Canada to bronze medal wins at the 2012 Olympics and 2016 Rio Games. In the NWSL, Sinclair has helped the Thorns to three championships in 2013, 2017 and 2022. 

Though her resume is longer and more impressive than most, Sinclair and Canada never earned significant success at the World Cup, though she is one of only five players to appear in six Women’s World Cups, and one of just three to score in five.  

Email Lindsay Schnell at lschnell@usatoday.com and follow her on social media @Lindsay_Schnell