Cristiano Ronaldo has 143 international goals. Lionel Messi has 117. Christine Sinclair retired with 190. Let that settle for a moment.
The Canadian forward ended her international career in December 2023 as the all-time leading goalscorer in the history of football — men's or women's — having broken Abby Wambach's previous record of 184 back in January 2020. She finished with 190 goals across 331 caps. No one else, in any era, on any continent, has scored more international goals.
A Record Built Over Three Decades
Sinclair's career wasn't a short burst of brilliance. She played at six World Cups and three Olympic Games for Canada, captaining her country at five World Cup tournaments — a record in itself. She scored at five different World Cups, a feat she shares only with Brazil's Marta.
The gold medal took time to arrive. Two Olympic bronze medals came first, in 2012 and 2016, before Canada finally claimed gold at Tokyo 2021. Sinclair was 38. By that point she'd been the best player in her country's history for over a decade — the gold was long overdue, not some sentimental farewell gift.
At club level she was equally decorated. Three NWSL Championships with the Portland Thorns, two WPS titles, and the 2021 NWSL Challenge Cup. She spent the bulk of her career in the NWSL, arriving for the league's inaugural 2013 season and staying until the very end — a 2-1 playoff loss to Gotham on November 10, 2024.
Where She Sits in the All-Time Lists
Her 331 caps make her the second most capped player in football history, behind only Kristine Lilly's 354. She won Canada's female athlete of the year award — the Bobbie Rosenfeld Award — more times than anyone else has, and no one else has won it more than once. She took Canadian Player of the Year 14 times.
- 190 international goals in 331 games for Canada
- Broke Wambach's record of 184 in January 2020
- Six World Cups, three Olympics, one gold medal
- Second most capped player in football history
- 14x Canadian Player of the Year
For context on where Ronaldo stands: he needs 47 more goals to reach Sinclair's total, and he's 40 years old. Messi needs 73. Neither is catching her.
When she broke the record against St Kitts and Nevis in 2020, Sinclair posted on social media: "I'm slightly overwhelmed." She'd just become the greatest international goalscorer the sport had ever seen. Slightly overwhelmed seems about right.
