The smile returns to Ronaldo's face: the Portuguese frontman is back with a bang

Cristiano Ronaldo feels at home again.

It took the Portuguese talisman only two games to make amends with his national side as he demonstrated that he is far from finished with international football.

After a disappointing World Cup and a controversial move to Saudi Arabia, the 38-year-old striker scored four goals in Portugal's first two games in the 2024 European Championship qualifiers.

His performances showed he is still the leader fans have grown accustomed to seeing wearing the red and green of the Portuguese national team.

Ronaldo scored twice in the 6-0 thrashing of Luxembourg on Sunday, three days after netting another brace in Portugal's 4-0 win over Liechtenstein, when he became the player with the most international appearances for a men's national team with 197.

"Two games, two wins," the Portugal captain said on his social media after the victory over Luxembourg.

"Happy to have contributed to a very positive start for our national team - let's go!" he added.

While Ronaldo may have scored the goals against two lower-ranked European teams, they seemed enough to help restore his confidence and his role as a starter with his national team.

From World Cup tears to delaying his farewell

The last time Ronaldo was on the field with Portugal the striker was seen breaking down in tears as his national team tumbled out of the World Cup in Qatar after losing to Morocco.

Ronaldo was relegated to the substitutes' bench by the then coach Fernando Santos in a controversial managerial move.

The disappointing World Cup, coupled with his decision to accept a lucrative deal from Saudi side Al Nassr, cast doubt on his future with his national team.

He said last week that he was not sure he would ever play at international level again and that he returned only after discussing it with his family and realized it was not yet time "to throw in the towel".