Canada star Sinclair bows out

Striker calls farewell ‘surreal and perfect’ as she leads team to win over Australia

VANCOUVER:

Canada striker Christine Sinclair made an emotional farewell to international football on Tuesday, bringing the curtain down on a dazzling career that saw her amass a world record 190 goals.

A record 48,112-crowd at Vancouver's BC Place Stadium – renamed Christine Sinclair Place for the night – was on hand to salute the Canadian captain as she led the team to a 1-0 win over Australia.

The match ground to a virtual halt after 12 minutes as fans rose to give a prolonged ovation to Sinclair, who wears the No 12 jersey.

The 40-year-old was involved in the build-up to Canada's winning goal after 40 minutes, scored by Quinn, before eventually being substituted 12 minutes into the second half for fellow veteran Sophie Schmidt.

Sinclair embraced Schmidt and her other team-mates before applauding the crowd as an international career that included 331 appearances and a world record 190 goals drew to a close.

"I'm always a competitor so I feel great," Sinclair said after the win. "We won the game. Super proud of the team. This is nuts, absolutely nuts."

Sinclair could be seen wiping away tears during pre-game formalities, while Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau led the tributes on social media, hailing the veteran as "the world's greatest goalscorer."

"Thank you for inspiring all of us," Trudeau wrote. "Your impact on the game, and on sports in Canada, is something we'll be celebrating for quite some time."

Sinclair, who famously shunned the spotlight during her career, said she had been determined to enjoy her farewell appearance.

"This type of stuff is never my favourite. But I promised myself to enjoy it. And it's been overwhelming," she said. "Surreal and the perfect ending."

Asked what she planned to do after the game, she replied: "Celebrate with my team-mates and then enjoy a little bit of downtime."

Sinclair, affectionately known as "Captain Everything" by Canadian fans, competed in six World Cups and four times at the Olympics, winning a gold medal in the Tokyo Games in 2021.

She announced her decision to retire from international football in October, drawing a line under a 23-year career.