South Burnaby international Christine Sinclair was named the Canadian female soccer player of the year for an unprecedented seventh straight time today.
Sinclair, who has won the honour every year since the female award was reintroduced in 2005, was a runaway winner, garnering nearly 50 per cent of the vote shared by the Canadian media and Canadian A and B level coaches.
"Christine is a phenomenal leader, player and person and it's great to see her recognized again in this way," said national team head coach John Herdman in a Canadian Soccer Association press release on Thursday. "To stay consistently at the top of the game and win this award for the seventh time, it is no easy task. It takes a very special person."
This season, Sinclair captained Team Canada to a gold medal at the Pan American Games in Mexico.
Two months earlier, Sinclair also a enjoyed a second consecutive Women's Pro Soccer title, scoring the game-winning goal and later named the championship MVP for the Western New York Flash.
Perhaps Sinclair's most memorable performance in 2011 was her free kick goal, despite playing with a broken nose, against two-time defending champion Germany in the opening game of the FIFA women's World Cup.
This season, Sinclair celebrated her 12th year on the national team, leading the team in scoring for the 11th time with eight goals. She also became just the fifth player to ever score 120 career international goals.
