Christine Sinclair’s all-time mark of 190 international goals won’t fall any time soon, but another one of the Canadian legend’s records was just beaten by a teenager.
Last week, 17-year-old Annabelle Chukwu netted a hat trick while representing her country at the 2024 FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup in Colombia, bringing her total to 29 goals for Canada at the youth levels. That mark broke Sinclair’s Canadian youth record of 27 goals, which had stood for over 20 years.“The goals came second,” Chukwu told TSN. “It was more about how I can help the team to progress in the tournament, and if that's scoring goals, then that would be a plus.
But those who have been close with Chukwu on her soccer journey also note another similarity to Sinclair – an uncanny knack to finish in front of the goal. She also scored the goal that secured Canada’s spot in the U20 World Cup, recording a brace in extra time of the third-place match against Costa Rica at the 2023 CONCACAF Women’s Under-20 Championship.
“Looking back, I wouldn't think it's something that I would accomplish. But I'm proud to be on a list with people that I look up to and admire,” she said. For Chukwu, that means drawing on her previous experience. Despite being the youngest amongst her teammates, Chukwu is not new to the World Cup stage, having represented Canada at the 2022 FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup in India. Chukwu scored her team’s lone goal in a 1-1 draw against France in the opening group-stage match, something she highlights as a standout moment in her young career.
“I didn't know how far I was going to go with the sport,” she said. “At the end of the day, I'm super grateful that I came here, because I don't think I would have taken up the sport in the way I did if I didn't come here.” That prodigious pace continued as she moved up age groups and levels. In the 2021 season of the under-14 Ontario Player Development League, she netted 46 goals in 15 games for OSU. The following season, she scored 39 times in 17 matches.
“I was just super happy and proud to get to that point and see what it actually means to represent the country,” Chukwu said. “Just seeing the level of play, how the speed of play is quicker and different and just having to always be one or two steps ahead… It’s really inspiring in a way. That's where I want to go,” she said.
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