Canada striker Christine Sinclair has made history, scoring a brace in the first 23 minutes of her side’s 2020 Olympics qualifier against St Kitts and Nevis, marking her out as the highest scoring player ever in international football. And to commemorate the achievement, Nike have created a special-edition PhantomVNM for the player, complete with numerous personal details.
The final score of 11-0 against St Kitts and Nevis was a mere subplot for Canada’s 2020 Olympics qualifier on 29 January. The real story was completed on the 23rd minute as 36-year-old Christine Sinclair slotted home her second of the match following a successfully converted penalty on the 7th minute, with that brace marking her out as the highest scoring international player of all time on a total of 185 goals – one more than former USWNT striker Abby Wambach.
It's been quite the journey for the player, who started her international career in 2000 at the age of 16. And Nike – who are always quick to highlight and honour the achievements of their athletes – have rolled out a personalised pair of PhantomVNMs for Sinclair to mark the milestone.
The boots take a Canadian red base and they feature personal details such as her jersey number, a Canadian flag, a quote from her college coach (“You better earn your right to play”) and two nicknames (“Sinc” and “Wonder”). The left sockliner includes meaningful dates and geographic coordinates from Sinclair’s career, while the right sockliner recognises important figures in Sinclair’s life. And as a final nod to her homeland, the whole package is wrapped up in an outline inspired by the shape of a maple leaf that’s visible when looking down on the boots. 185 not out.
As with Megan Rapinoe's commemorative Mercurial, it looks like Sinclair's PhantomVNM is a one off and won't be available for retail. Soz to all you Canadians out there...
