Sask. Olympian reflects on Sinclair’s career ahead of final game for Canada

Canadian soccer fans are getting ready to say goodbye to one of the greatest female soccer players of all time.

On Tuesday night at BC Place in Vancouver, Christine Sinclair will take to the pitch wearing the red and white of Team Canada for the final time as Canada faces Australia in a friendly match.

While the match will be her last for Team Canada, she’ll continue to play with her club team, the Portland Thorns FC.

In the minds of many fans, Sinclair’s time with the national team has been nothing short of incredible.

The game Tuesday will be her 331st game for Team Canada. Over the span of her 23-year career with the national team, she has led Canada to three Olympic medals – including gold at Tokyo 2020 – along with six World Cup appearances, culminating in a third-place finish in 2003.

Sinclair will finish her career as international soccer’s all-time leading goal scorer among both men and women.

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Saskatoon’s Kelly Parker appeared in games alongside Sinclair between 2003 and 2012. She said Tuesday was an emotional day for her.

“She’s just an absolute legend. I think we all thought she’d be in the game forever,” Parker stated.

“It’s a sad day, but I think we’re all celebrating all of her achievements and what she’s done for this country and the sport in our country.”

Parker said it’s tough for her to count the number of ways Sinclair has changed the sport in this country. She said Sinclair’s success on the pitch has helped pave the way for many others who now play soccer while dreaming of being the next Sinclair.

“Sincy has played since she was a teenager and, looking back, it gave all of these young girls the idea and hope. As she moved on in her career, she started to break records and it created more dreams in kids’ heads and players’ heads,” Parker explained.

“She just inspired a whole nation to believe that they can achieve more, including her teammates. She set a new standard for the sport and the Canadian women’s program.”

Parker said Sinclair never approached the game with any ego, preferring to act as a quiet leader who did her best every single second she was on the pitch.

“She’s legendary in that way, and breaking barriers for women’s sports in general,” Parker said.

When asked what it was like to play with Sinclair, Parker said it elevated the entire team.

“It’s like (playing with) Ronaldo and Messi. Sincy does it all really well,” she stated.

“She makes it look easy and makes the players around her better. She was, of course, a superstar, but as she matured in her game, she just continued to make everyone around her better. She defends hard, she has vision, and then she’s the best finisher who has ever been in the game. It’s been an incredible honour to play with her.”

Looking back at Sinclair’s 23-year career, Parker said the thing she’ll remember most is her endless love and passion for the game.

“We played two (Olympic) qualifiers together and had some really brilliant moments where I gave her the assist on some goals,” she explained.

“Just seeing the joy on her in the celebration and how much passion she has for the sport and being able to share that joy with her on the field is just massive. It affected me for the rest of my life and gave me some of (my) best moments in the sport.”

Parker said she can’t wait to see what Sinclair does next, and wondered how she’s going to continue to share her passion for the sport moving forward.

The match Tuesday starts at 7 p.m.