Damien Perquis

Damien Perquis
Born	Damien Albert René Perquis (1984-04-10) April 10, 1984 Troyes, France
Occupation(s)	Football player (retired), football coach
Years active	2002–2020 (player), 2020–present (coach)
Known for	Professional footballer, Poland international

Damien Albert René Perquis (born 10 April 1984) is a retired professional football player who currently serves as the assistant coach for the B-team of Gazélec Ajaccio.

Primarily positioned as a defender, Perquis initially represented France at youth levels before obtaining Polish citizenship, enabling him to compete for the senior Poland squad. He concluded his playing career in June 2020, marking an 18-year tenure in professional football.

Perquis’s formative years were spent within the youth academies of INF Clairefontaine and Troyes. He began his senior journey with Troyes B (2002–2003) and progressed to Troyes’ first team (2003–2005). Subsequently, he transferred to Saint-Étienne (2005–2008), including a loan spell at Sochaux during 2007–2008, which later became a permanent transfer lasting until 2012. His career then extended internationally with Real Betis in Spain from 2012 to 2015, followed by engagements with Toronto FC in Major League Soccer (2015–2016), Nottingham Forest in England (2016–2017), and ultimately Gazélec Ajaccio (2017–2019).

Throughout his professional tenure, Perquis amassed over 300 appearances at club level, contributing defensively along with occasional goals. On the international stage, he earned 14 caps representing Poland between 2011 and 2013, netting one goal.

Personal life

Born in Troyes, France, Perquis possesses Polish heritage through his grandmother, Józefa Bierła. His family roots trace back to Strzyżewko in central Poland. He is married and has two children.

Troyes

Perquis rose through the ranks of the Troyes AC youth system and spent two seasons competing in Ligue 2 with Troyes, where he was recognized as one of the division’s standout defenders.

Saint-Étienne

In 2005, Perquis joined AS Saint-Étienne, competing in Ligue 1, on a free transfer. After two seasons that failed to meet expectations, he was loaned to Sochaux, where he established himself as a regular starter.

Sochaux

Perquis secured a permanent move to Sochaux in 2008. Over four seasons, he made 146 appearances and scored eleven goals before leaving the club in summer 2012.

Real Betis

In 2012, Perquis signed with Spanish side Real Betis. His time there was hampered by injuries, limiting him to just 32 league appearances across three campaigns.

Toronto FC

Following his departure from Betis, Perquis joined Major League Soccer outfit Toronto FC on 26 January 2015. The contract was mutually terminated on 12 July 2016.

Nottingham Forest

Perquis penned a two-year contract with Nottingham Forest on 22 July 2016. He recorded his first goal for the club on 27 August 2016 during a 3–1 home victory over Leeds United. On 24 July 2017, both parties agreed to end his contract early.

Gazélec Ajaccio

In 2017, Perquis signed for Gazélec Ajaccio, competing in Ligue 2, where he remained for two seasons.

International career

In December 2008, Perquis expressed a desire to represent the Poland national football team. This intention was confirmed by Poland’s manager Franciszek Smuda in July 2010. In January 2011, Perquis submitted an application for citizenship verification but encountered delays due to missing documentation from his family. Following intervention by Smuda requesting approval from Polish president Bronislaw Komorowski, Perquis was granted Polish citizenship on 1 September 2011.

He made his international debut on 6 September 2011 during a friendly match against the Germany national football team held in Gdańsk, which ended in a 2–2 draw. His first goal for Poland came on 26 May 2012 in a friendly victory over the Slovakia national football team, finishing 1–0. Perquis was selected for Poland’s final squad at UEFA Euro 2012.

Coaching career

Following his retirement from professional football on 15 June 2020, Perquis took on the role of assistant coach for the reserve squad of Gazélec Ajaccio.

Club

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			National cup		League cup		Europe		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Saint-Étienne	2005–06	Ligue 1	15	0	0	0	0	0	—		—		15	0
	2006–07	Ligue 1	8	1	0	0	0	0	—		—		8	1
	2007–08	Ligue 1	0	0	0	0	0	0	—		—		0	0
	Total		23	1	0	0	0	0	—				23	1
Sochaux (loan)	2007–08	Ligue 1	23	1	0	0	0	0	—		—		23	1
Sochaux	2008–09	Ligue 1	36	2	0	0	0	0	—		—		36	2
	2009–10	Ligue 1	34	3	3	0	0	0	—		—		37	3
	2010–11	Ligue 1	35	5	3	0	0	0	—		—		38	5
	2011–12	Ligue 1	18	0	1	0	1	0	2	0	—		22	0
	Total		123	11	7	0	1	0	2	0	0	0	133	11
	Real Betis	2012–13	Primera División	10	0	4	0		—		—		14	0
2013–14		Primera División	13	0	1	0		—	8	—	22	0
2014–15		Segunda División	9	0	3	2		—		—		12	2
Total		32	0	8	2	0	0	8	0	0	0	48	2
Toronto	2015	MLS	25	1	1	0		—		—		26	1
	2016	MLS	12	1	0	0		—		—		12	1
	Total		37	2	1	०	०	०	०	०	०	०	38	२	-	Nottingham Forest	2016–17	Championship	17	२	०	०	२	०	—	०	०	१९	२	-	Gazélec Ajaccio	2017–18	Ligue २	२२	०	१	०	१	०	०	०	०	०	२४	०	-	२०१८-१९	Ligue २	२०	०	३	१	०	०	०	०	१	०	२४	१	-	Total	४२	०	४	१	१	०	०	०	१	०	४८	१	-	Career total	२९७	१६	२०	३	४	०	१०	०	१	०	३३२	१९

International

Appearances and goals by national team and year

National team	Year	Appearances	Goals
Poland	2011	6	0
	2012	8	1
	2013	1	0
Total		14	1

The score and outcome list Poland's goals first; the score column reflects the tally immediately after Perquis' goal.

Damien Perquis' international goal

No.	Date	Location	Opponent	Score after goal	Final result	Match type
1	26 May 2012	Hypo-Arena, Klagenfurt, Austria	Template:Fb	1–0	1–0	Friendly match

External links

• Official website
• France U-21 squad 2005–06