Portland Thorns re-sign CanWNT icon Christine Sinclair for 2022 season
Portland Thorns FC announced Thursday the club has re-signed Canadian women's national team icon Christine Sinclair to a new contract through 2022, with an option for 2023.
“We are excited to re-sign Christine so that she can continue her career as a Thorn. She’s always been a Thorn, and she’s made it clear that she always wants to be a Thorn,” club general manager Karina LeBlanc said in an issued statement. “What she has done for this team as a leader, for this organization and this community has been massive. She is a great human and the epitome of what a Thorns player should be.”
Added head coach Rhian Wilkinson: “Sinclair is a player who has proudly represented the Thorns organization since day one of the NWSL. Her ability to maintain the very top professional standard for as long as she has, her understanding of the game, her finishing ability, and her leadership make her a player we could not be prouder to have represent us.”
Sinclair, 38, joined Thorns FC of the NWSL in 2013, and has since made 164 appearances for the club, scoring 65 goals in all competitions.
But even at 38, the 2020 Olympics Gold Medalist (and international soccer's top goal-scorer in history) isn't looking to hang up her boots anytime soon, as she told reporters earlier last week after receiving the 2022 FIFA Best Special Award:
"I want to keep going if the national team still needs me, if Portland still needs me. We're going to take it year-by-year... but I know I can still contribute greatly to both teams and have an impact.
"This is one of those occupations that, when you're done, you're done. You can't, when you're 55, come back and play professionally. A lot of people have told me, 'Keep going, you deserve to play, so why would you stop?'
"So, I'm not going to stop yet."
