From the precocious young talent trying to impress, to the grand old master refusing to yield, Cristiano Ronaldo still has targets. A trademark move and strike on Thursday night sent a message loud and clear.

To those who think his 40th birthday being five months away makes him too old. To those who think his Euros performance means younger talent needs to develop without him. To those who think his move to the Saudi Pro League had dulled his finest instincts.

Eleven minutes from half time against Croatia in the opening Nations League fixture, Ronaldo watched a pass played wide left to Nuno Mendes 30 yards out. Sitting in the D, he shifted his weight one way then the other. One quick visual check to mentally map the penalty area, then focus back to Mendes who was shaping to cross.

Ronaldo’s ears pricked up, his eyes lit up. He darted between two defenders, in for the kill. It was over even as the ball left Mendes’s foot.

His perfectly-cushioned strike flew home and he ran to the corner flag to celebrate his 900th career goal. Even by his own traditional reactions, this was different. Close to tears, his head buried in the turf. And when he came up for air, he initially covered his face with his hands before rising to take the acclaim while looking to the skies.

There was no preening leap in the air, no pointing to the name on his back in his customary ‘Siu!’ celebration. Dare I say it, this was almost natural.

“It means a lot,” Ronaldo said. “It was a milestone I wanted to reach for a long time. I knew I would reach this number, because as I continue to play, it would happen naturally.

“It was emotional because it’s a milestone. It seems like any other milestone, but only I know, and the people around me, how hard it is to work every day, to be physically and psychologically fit, to score 900 goals. It’s a unique milestone in my career.”

His long-time father figure, Alex Ferguson, once said that 10 minutes after he left the Nou Camp pitch in 1999, the Champions League triumph was gone and he was already mentally planning the following season.

And like all greats in any sport, Ronaldo already has his mind trained on what is to come rather than what has been.

“I want to reach 1,000 goals,” he told former Manchester United teammate Rio Ferdinand in an interview on his YouTube channel this week. If I don’t have any injuries, this for me is the most important [thing], I want that.”

And it is that relentless drive that almost ensures his 10th century of goals - which may begin on Sunday night in Lisbon against Scotland - will almost certainly be completed before he calls time on himself.

For now, the challenge of those targets and the thrill of battle against new talent as well as old friends and foes is enough to keep him going. He spoke warmly and with excitement on Thursday night after another occasion sharing the pitch with former Real Madrid teammate, Luka Modric, who on Monday will join Ronaldo at the ripe age of 39.

“I played so many years with Luka and we won so many things together,” said Ronaldo. “We have a good relationship, we are friends. I’m happy for him that he is still playing.

“We shared the pitch today and it’s beautiful. Football has moments that we keep in our hearts forever. It’s a pleasure to play against Croatia, to play against Modric, my ex-teammate. One day we will stop but we are still in good shape. We still enjoy the game. This is the most important thing.”