40YO Canada’s Christine Sinclair Dangerously Closes In on Cristiano Ronaldo’s Prestigious FIFA World Cup Record

Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the best soccer players to ever exist. Currently at Al-Nassr, the Portuguese soccer veteran has made 200 appearances for his country. Just days ago, the 2023 Women’s World Cup kicked off. Canadian veteran Christine Sinclair is incredibly close to breaking the Portuguese veteran’s FIFA World Cup record. And she almost did it today against Nigeria!

The 40-year-old NWSL star is on the verge of greatness in the soccer universe. She made her national debut for Canada more than two decades ago and is still going pretty strong.

Christine Sinclair is on the verge of breaking Ronaldo’s rare record!

Christine Sinclair has multiple records to her name. One of her most notable ones is winning the Canada Soccer Player of the Year fourteen times. Currently, in the NWSL, she has spent exactly a decade at Portland Thorns. It doesn’t seem like the striker is slowing down anytime soon. Just hours ago, she kicked off Canada’s World Cup campaign against Nigeria.

Interestingly, she was incredibly close to breaking Ronaldo’s national record. Apart from the former Real Madrid star even Brazil’s Marta holds the record. Both of them have appeared and scored goals in five FIFA World Cups. Sinclair has taken that a notch higher because she just appeared in her sixth Women’s World Cup. And she almost broke the record by scoring!

The game against Nigeria ended in a 0-0 draw. Just after halftime, Sinclair managed to win a penalty. She stepped up to the penalty spot and shockingly missed it. Despite dominating possession throughout the game, Sinclair and her team couldn’t break the shackles. There’s a long campaign ahead of them and Sinclair will surely get more opportunities to break the lifelong record.

READ MORE: USWNT’s All-Time Top Scorers in History: Alex Morgan Makes Top 5 While Megan Rapinoe Barely in Top 10

Over the years, the Canadian striker has proven to become a leader on and off the field. From the looks of it, she was at the forefront while fighting for equal pay. Let’s dive deeper.

Christine Sinclair’s fight for equality with Canada Soccer

Back in February, the soccer universe witnessed one of its finest moments. The USWNT and Canada shared a moment of solidarity on the pitch for gender inequality. The Canadian soccer board hasn’t been very generous with the funding. Upset by the same, the Canadian team decided to not play further. But the board threatened to take legal action and demand millions for damage.

Sinclair was crystal clear in her statements on social media. She mentioned that the board had ‘forced’ them to play for the ‘short term’. In March, the board reportedly agreed on an interim funding deal with the women’s soccer team. But the agreement still hasn’t been signed. Sinclair and her team have headed into the World Cup against a backdrop of pure uncertainty.

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Do you think that Sinclair will break Ronaldo and Marta’s record? Let us know in the comments below.