Indiana-born Manny Perez, who shares a birthdate of 19 February 1999 with the Italian inventor Alessandro Volta, has carved out a colourful career for himself which, as we will now discuss, has not been without its peaks and troughs. Among his manifold talents is his positional versatility, as a defender who specialises primarily as a right-back. His current abode is AC Horsens, a club with a charm all of its own, ensconced in the formidable 1. division of the Danish football league. Perez cuts a svelte figure, standing tall at an efficient 6 feet (1.83m) and distributing his weight to a trim 11 stone 4 pounds (72kg).
The opening page of Perez's playbook was written in January 2017, in the heart of the NPSL, NC State. This period, however, seems like an eternity ago as the ever-industrious defender soon found himself drawn by the allure of Celtic, a club that requires no introduction, especially for a writer of my persuasion. The January transfer window of 2019 saw Perez swap the sprawling landscapes of North Carolina for the lush, emerald charm of Scotland, home to the formidable Premiership side, Celtic.
Perez's tenure with Celtic, however short-lived it was, left a lasting imprint on the club's chronicles. Unfortunately, his outing in the Celtic green was curtailed by loan spells, the first of which took him back to the shores of North Carolina in the United States League. Having barely had the chance to get used to Scottish tea, Perez found himself playing for North Carolina again, making 21 appearances in the debut season of 2019 and 14 the following season, even netting a goal that passed into the small pantheon of his career highlights so far.
Perez's journey continued to twist and turn as in April 2021, he found himself departing Celtic for pastures new - moving on to Portland Timbers in the Major League Soccer, transacting the deal for an undisclosed fee in accordance with Club policy. However, his stay in Portland was as brief as it was eventful, eventually leading him on loan to Austin FC. At Austin, he was entrusted with ten first-team appearances in the 2021 season.
A move in 2022, saw our peripatetic protagonist enter the realm of the USL's Louisville City, where he managed to assemble 33 appearances in his debut season and another 33 in the subsequent season - scoring a goal I'm sure is beautifully etched in his memory.
The year 2024 brought with it a new journey for Perez. He embarked on a European expedition landing him right in the heart of Denmark's competitive 1. division league, with AC Horsens as his latest host. In the unfolding chapters of this season, Perez has yet to have tasted the thrill of a league match for AC Horsens. We wait with bated breath for his return to the lush greenery of the pitch, where no doubt, his imprint will again be felt.
