It was looking awfully grim the last time Cristiano Ronaldo put on the Portugal jersey, but a lot has changed since. After that defeat to Morocco in the World Cup quarterfinals, it looked like the end of the Ronaldo era for Portugal as Fernando Santos had him coming off the bench.

But the time has come for Qualifiers for the 2024 Euro Cup, and Ronaldo was not only selected for the squad but also started both of the country’s qualifying games. He rewarded his newly elected coach Roberto Martinez by scoring four goals in two qualifying games against Luxembourg and Liechtenstein.

The first two games went quite perfectly for the new boys as six possible points were won, scoring 10 goals and conceding zero. However, it was not only Ronaldo who produced for Portugal as Bernardo Silva had two goals and an assist in these two qualifiers, and Rafael Leão was a spark off the bench with a goal and an assist. But the question remains if Ronaldo will be selected for the following tournament with Euro 2024 coming up next summer.

Time will tell, but Roberto Martinez has trusted him so far, and Ronaldo has rewarded the chance with back-to-back braces.