The Women's World Cup is underway in Australia and New Zealand and a piece of history almost got made in the Nigeria vs Canada game.
Canada's Christine Sinclair is a legend in the women's game and in football overall and she was at the centre of things in the match against Nigeria.
Sinclair has been the player with the most number of goals in football, men or women, with 190 international goals. More than the likes of the iconic Lionel Messi, superstar Cristiano Ronaldo and India captain Sunil Chhetri.
In the match which ended in a goalless draw, Sinclair had a missed opportunity in the ninth minute when she failed to convert a chance in open play inside the D when unmarked.
However, what struck football fans the most was Sinclair's penalty miss in the 50th minute when her attempt to convert was parried by Nigeria's Chiamaka Nnadozie.
The 22-year-old goalkeeper leapt to her left to block the shot that left Sinclair flustered in what would have been a historic goal.
Chance lost
If the ball had found the net, Sinclair would have become the first player in the history of football to score a goal at six FIFA World Cups.
The record up until now was that she was one among three players along with Marta and Cristiano Ronaldo to score at five FIFA World Cups. She could have gone a step ahead and created history for herself if she had converted the penalty.
The 40-year-old was playing in her 324th international game for Canada and was on the cusp of making history in the match against Nigeria.
The age difference between the legendary Sinclair and the sharp Nigerian custodian Nnadozie is 18 years and that gives a fair perspective of the magnitude of the former's achievements in her career and the beauty of the 'Beautiful Game'.
Who is Christine Sinclair?
Sinclair has been playing for Canada since the last 23 years and has been the torch-bearer of their campaign in six FIFA World Cups including the current one.
The veteran player's peak was during her 2012 London Olympics campaign for Canada where she scored six goals in the tournament and was awarded the Golden Boot.
The Canadian had led the team to a bronze-medal at the London Olympics and it was one of the high points of her storied career.
Sinclair's mind-boggling records
Sinclair had beaten Abby Wambach's record of international goals which was 184, at the Qualifying Championship for the 2021 Olympics. She scored her 184th and 185th goals in the match against St Kitts and Nevis to tie and then surpass Wambach's record.
Irrespective of how Canada's campaign goes in the Women's World Cup going forward, there is no doubt about the fact that Sinclair has made a profound impact on the women's game and is an absolute legend and inspiration to millions of emerging women footballers.
This is what Sinclair had to say after she became the record holder for most goals in internationals.
"For me it has nothing to do with the record, it's to have young girls be able to dream of playing professionally or represent their country, win Olympic medals. To inspire young girls to pursue their crazy, wild dreams, it's pretty cool."
