Canadian has the most international goals in women’s or men’s football and her tally – 186 and counting – looks unbeatable
It was a long time coming. A slow climb. Many expected the
Canada striker Christine Sinclair to break the
USA legend Abby Wambach’s record of 184 international goals at the
World Cup last summer. Except that was unlikely. With Canada playing a defensive game and Sinclair having managed nine World Cup goals in her four previous tournament finals, it was unlikely she would get the four needed to shift the crown over the US-Canada border.
Instead the moment would come seven months later, in much less glamorous circumstances. A seventh-minute penalty against St Kitts and Nevis in Concacaf Olympic qualifying last Wednesday equalled Wambach’s tally and, against a team ranked 127th in the world, it was inevitable the 36-year-old would then claim the record. It looked so simple. With Canada cruising at 3-0 Adriana Leon cut back to an unmarked Sinclair in the middle and the forward swept side-footed into the bottom corner. The celebrations were uncharacteristically bold for a player happy to fade into the background, with Sinclair bowling the ball towards nine players lined up as pins for a strike.