Real Madrid super star Cristiano Ronaldo’s decision to stay mum about his team president’s decision during the transfer has backfired — mostly because he didn’t really stay mum. Instead, the 29-year-old forward pretty clearly insinuated he wasn’t happy with President Florentino Perez’s decisions. Talking to reporters at on Monday, Ronaldo said:

“I have my very clear opinion, but I must calculate and I cannot always say what I think because tomorrow I will be on the front of the papers and I do not want that… But if I was in charge, maybe I would not do things like that. Everyone has their opinion and is free to say what they think. If the president thinks that the best thing for the team is to sign these players and let go those who left then we have to respect and support his decision.”

The most significant change saw midfielder standout Angel Di Maria of Argentina leave for Manchester United for a record $99 million. In another surprise, Real decided to trade Spanish star Xabi Alonso to Bayern Munich for around $13 million. Real Madrid made the deals to help afford the $140 million-plus it spent to acquire World Cup stars James Rodriguez of Colombia, Toni Kroos of Germany and Keylor Navas of Costa Rica.

The Portuguese underwear model and UEFA’s “Best Player of the Year” knows it will affect how the team, which took home the Champions League title last season, will play on the pitch. He continued…

“It will change. They are different players, it could change for the better or the worse. I hope it is for the better. [Rodriguez and Kroos] are very good players and should adapt well and help the team to be successful. Obviously Di Maria and Xabi are very important players, but we have others and we are happy with those who are here. I am sure that things will go well and the team will be at a very high level.”