Portland Thorns forward Christine Sinclair, the leading scorer in international soccer history, announced Friday that she will retire at the end of the 2024 National Women’s Soccer League season.
Sinclair’s final game of the regular season will be against Angel City FC in Portland on November 1, when the Thorns will honor her career. Portland sits seventh in the standings and the top eight teams advance to this year’s NWSL playoffs.
“Portland, thank you is not enough,” Sinclair wrote on Instagram. “Soccer has been my passion since I was 4 years old and has taken me down paths I never imagined. The game led me to the most impactful decision of my life: attending the University of Portland.
“As I conclude this final ride, I want to say what a privilege it has been to represent this unique, beautiful and passionate city that I will always call home.
“I still have the same passion as a four-year-old growing up in Burnaby, BC, but as I hang up my soccer shoes, I’m determined to channel that passion in a new way.
“It’s about inspiring the next generation while continuing to grow the game I love.”
Sinclair’s 190 goals for Canada are more than any player in the history of men’s or women’s international soccer. She retired from the Canadian national team at the end of 2023, ending a 20-year international career that included six World Cups and four Olympics, including two bronze medals and an Olympic gold medal in 2021.
In 2020, Sinclair surpassed former USA forward Abby Wambach to become the international leading scorer.
Portland has been Sinclair’s home since the inaugural NWSL season in 2013, and she has played a key role in building the Thorns into a perennial contender and one of the most recognized women’s soccer teams in the world.
She was assigned to the Portland Thorns and helped the team win their first league title in 2013, and went on to add two more NWSL titles in 2017 and 2022.
She is the only player to remain with the Thorns since the team’s founding.
“It has been an honor to be a part of the Portland Thorns organization for the past 11 years,” Sinclair wrote. “This is a club that has shown the world what is possible if you invest in women’s sport.”
The Thorns paid tribute to Sinclair on social media.
“A legend of the game. Your legacy and influence will live on for generations. Congratulations on your retirement.” The team posted on
Sinclair, who grew up outside Vancouver, Canada, won two NCAA national championships at the University of Portland in 2002 and 2005. She is a two-time winner of the MAC Hermann Trophy, awarded to the best player in college football.
She was a free agent the past two seasons, but decided to stay in Portland each time. Sinclair signed another one-year deal with the Thorns in early 2024.
The wins continued throughout Sinclair’s career. She signed with FC Gold Pride ahead of the founding of women’s professional football in 2009 and won a championship with the team the following year.
FC Gold Pride folded and Sinclair, along with six-time World Player of the Year Marta, moved to the Western New York Flash, where they won another WPS title before the league folded in early 2012.
With Canada launching its top-tier Northern Super League in 2025, there has been loose speculation that the 41-year-old might be tempted to play another year in his home country.
Sinclair played semi-professionally for the Vancouver Whitecaps in the first iteration of the USL W-League in the early 2000s. The USL W-League was the highest level of women’s soccer in the United States and Canada at the time, and Vancouver won the league championship in 2006 when there was no professional league in the United States.
The Thorns are currently scheduled to play the Whitecaps in the final group game of the inaugural Concacaf W Champions Cup on October 15 at BC Place in downtown Vancouver.
BC Place was the site of Sinclair’s final game for Canada last year. It was temporarily renamed “Christine Sinclair Place”.
