Christine Sinclair began the year by becoming international football’s all-time leading scorer. She ends it by being honoured at The Best FIFA Football Awards™ for that remarkable achievement.

“Chase your dreams,” the Canada legend advised the youth of today. “Go for it. Put in that extra work. Everyone here today is living proof that sometimes those crazy, wild dreams you have as a youngster do come true."

Christine Sinclair: It’s a huge honour and an amazing accomplishment, but to be honest it was just a sigh of relief and a weight off my shoulders, because it was something that was coming for a number of years. It was ticking down, the goals were ticking away, and it was a sigh of relief – I’m not going to lie.

The wide variety of people who reached out to me after I broke the record was pretty incredible. Obviously hearing from Abby, but also a lot of players from my past – team-mates and opponents. It was pretty special. The football world’s a pretty small one and in moments like that you realise just how close we all are.

“My warmest congratulations on this historical and exceptional accomplishment," wrote FIFA President Gianni Infantino in a letter to Sinclair right after she broke the record. "It could only be achieved thanks to your tremendous commitment, exemplary motivation, hard work and incredible passion for our beautiful game. Your human qualities and skills, not to mention your remarkable contribution to the popularity and growth of women's football, or soccer, deserve our admiration."