Christine Sinclair up for FIFA player of the year award
Captained Canada to bronze at Rio Olympics
Fresh from leading Canada to bronze at the Rio Olympics, Christine Sinclair is one of 10 players shortlisted for FIFA women's player of the year.
It marks the eighth such nomination of a long and distinguished career that has seen the 33-year-old from Burnaby, B.C., score 165 international goals, second only to retired American Abby Wambach's 184.
The Canadian captain was also shortlisted in 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2012 and 2013. She finished fifth in the 2012 voting.
The other candidates this year are Camille Abily (France), Melanie Behringer (Germany), Sara Dabritz (Germany), Amandine Henry (France), Saki Kumagai (Japan), Carli Lloyd (U.S.), Dzsenifer Marozsan (Germany), Marta (Brazil) and Lotta Schelin (Sweden).
The 10 women were chosen by the Committee for Women's Football and the FIFA Women's World Cup. The winner will be announced Jan. 9 in Zurich at the FIFA football awards.
Canadian centre back Kadeisha Buchanan made the top 10 last year when Lloyd won the award.
Sinclair has also been named Canadian Women's Player of the Year 12 times, including the last 11 years. The Portland Thorns star was also voted National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) Player of the Olympics by the NWSL Media Association.
"She's just an unbelievable person and we're so privileged to have her as part of our Canadian soccer family," Victor Montagliani, president of CONCACAF and the Canadian Soccer Association, said after the bronze-medal win in Brazil.
"To be quite honest, we're so privileged to have her as a Canadian. She's just one of those generational type of personalities. I think we should all be proud of her."
The FIFA winner will be chosen through a combined voting process, with 50 per cent of the decision based on the choices of national team captains and head coaches. The other 50 per cent will be determined by an online public ballot and submissions from a selected group of more than 200 media representatives around the world.
Canadian coach John Herdman was announced Tuesday as one of the 10 candidates for FIFA's top women's coach. He was also nominated in 2012 and 2015.