With spotlight on retiring Sinclair, Canadian captain says it was always about the team

Christine Sinclair struggles to remember the date of her international record 185th goal.

"What day? No.2019? 2020 — no, 2019."

The date was in fact Jan. 29, 2020, in an 11-0 win over St. Kitts and Nevis.

So Christine, how many Olympic goals have you scored?

She takes a deep sigh, thinking for a moment, then pounds her fist into her opposite hand a couple times, wracking her brain for the correct total.

The interviewer, CBC Sports' Andi Petrillo, taps her own shoulder, pointing to where the number on a soccer jersey would be printed.

"Twelve!" Sinclair exclaims.

Sinclair, the 40-year-old Olympic champion from Burnaby, B.C., will play the final two games of her national-team career in her home province over the next week, leading Canada against Australia in Langford, B.C., on Friday before a rematch in Vancouver on Tuesday.

The notoriously camera-shy Sinclair admitted that she thought she might be happy simply fading into retirement, but friends and family convinced her to go along with the current farewell tour, which also had stops in Halifax and Montreal.

WATCH | Christine Sinclair reflects on record-breaking career:

It is not surprising, though, that Sinclair hopes her legacy is about team accomplishments and not personal achievements.

"I've never done it for the individual recognition. I look at our national team and I think we're constantly overlooked individually and collectively," she said.

"And we surprised some people along the way, but for me it's never been about the individual accolades. It's about us trying to win games, win tournaments and improve our sport."

She was successful on all three fronts. There were two Olympic bronze medals preceding the championship in Tokyo, in addition to a CONCACAF