The last time we saw him he was in tears in the tunnel leading to the changing rooms of the Al-Thumama stadium in Doha, Qatar, on December 10, 2022. Morocco had just eliminated Portugal in the quarter-finals of the football World Cup (1-0). Cristiano Ronaldo is known for being quick to tear up, but that time he seemed inconsolable. In an interview with British journalist Piers Morgan before the tournament kicked off, the then 37-year-old forward had spoken of the possibility of hanging up his boots after the World Cup. It would "100%" be the case in the event of victory in the only competition he hasn't won, he said.

Although he would not go on to lift the cup, there nonetheless was an air of a farewell from international football for one of the planet's best players. Relegated to the bench at the start of the match against Morocco, as he had been for the previous game against Switzerland, the former stalwart had become a figure of the past, whose encumbering shadow seemed to be hindering the emergence of a talented young generation.

That feeling was only reinforced by his tempestuous departure from Manchester United that winter, to sign for Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia. For the first time since 2003, his name was absent from the list of nominees for the Ballon d'Or, the award he has lifted five times.

Yet Ronaldo is back, as captain, as Portugal kicks off its 2024 European championship campaign against the Czech Republic in Leipzig on Tuesday, June 18. Never mind his age and his exile in a league that almost nobody knew about.

CR7 owes his return to the national team to his coach. Roberto Martinez, who replaced Fernando Santos in January 2023, had a golden opportunity to avoid calling back Ronaldo at little cost. After all, his predecessor had already committed the crime of treason by leaving him on the sidelines during the World Cup. Instead, the Spaniard decided to make him an integral part of the team.

"You just have to look at his statistics," said the Spanish coach, justifying his decision to select the star. This season, Ronaldo has found the net 44 times in 45 matches in all competitions with his club Al-Nassr.

He also shone for the national team in a Euro qualifying campaign that ended with a perfect record: 10 wins in as many games, the best defense with two goals conceded and the best attack with 36 goals scored, including 10 for the native of Madeira (only bested by Belgium's Romelu Lukaku and his 14 goals). As if to prove to his detractors that he deserves to be there, he scored a brace in the final Euro warm-up match against Ireland (3-0) on June 11.

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