The 2024 WNBA Semifinals will take place in the top

Portland Thorns captain and Canadian national team star Christine Sinclair announced her retirement on Friday, saying the 2024 NWSL season will be her last as a professional player.

After starting his career in Canada in 1999, this season marks his 25th as a professional soccer player. The 41-year-old, who retired from the international game as the world’s all-time leading goalscorer in December 2023, will leave the game as one of the most decorated players in history for both club and country.

In her announcement on social media, Sinclair wrote of Portland: “As I finish this final journey, I want to say what a privilege it has been to represent this unique, beautiful and passionate city that I will always call home.”

Sinclair was a Thorn from the start

Sinclair, a two-time NCAA champion with the University of Portland, joined the Thorns in the inaugural 2013 NWSL season, leading the club to the league title that year. The 11-season captain helped Portland win two more championships in 2017 and 2022, in addition to the NWSL Shield in 2016 and 2021.

Her 64 regular season goals are the most in Thorns history and third all-time in the NWSL. In all NWSL competitions, Sinclair has scored 79 goals and is one of only two players to score in every type of league competition.

Portland will honor its longtime star with a ceremony on Nov. 1, immediately following the team’s final regular season game. Currently sitting seventh above the NWSL playoff line, a postseason berth with the Thorns would extend Sinclair’s professional career.

Sinclair’s unrivaled international career

When Sinclair left the field for Team Canada for the last time on Dec. 5, she did so as the all-time leading scorer in international soccer. To date, no current player – male or female – is within 50 goals of her record of 190.

First called up at age 16, Sinclair’s 23-year Team Canada career has included six World Cups and four Olympics, where he won gold in 2021 after winning bronze in both 2012 and 2016 .Her 331 international appearances are second only to USWNT Legend Kristine Lilly.

A game changer off the field and beyond

Off the court, Sinclair worked to improve the game in Canada, using her voice to fight for equal treatment and pay for the women’s team. The work is far from done, and Sinclair alluded to her continued efforts in her announcement Friday.

“I still have the same passion as that 4-year-old growing up in Burnaby, BC, but as I hang up my playing boots, I vow to channel it in a new way. To continue to grow the game I love while inspiring the next generation,” she wrote.

Ahead of her final international match in 2023, Sinclair told reporters she still plans to “definitely be involved” in football. Sinclair previously mentioned the possibility of coaching or working with the Northern Super League, Canada’s new top women’s league, which will begin play in 2025.