Damien Albert René Perquis was born on 10 April 1984 in Troyes, in the Aube department of France. A centre-back, he played eighteen professional seasons in four leagues and won fourteen caps for Poland.
Troyes and Clairefontaine
He started playing football in his home town before joining, at 13, the INF Clairefontaine, the French Football Federation's national academy. In 2000, aged 16, he returned to ES Troyes AC and established himself in the reserve team, runners-up in the CFA in 2003.
First-team coach Faruk Hadžibegić handed him his Ligue 2 debut in 2003-04. Over two seasons he played 62 league matches and scored three goals. He was named in the UNFP Ligue 2 Team of the Year for 2004-05, the season Troyes returned to Ligue 1.
Saint-Étienne and Ligue 1
In the summer of 2005 he signed for AS Saint-Étienne and discovered Ligue 1. That season he was also called up to the France under-21 team, for whom he won three caps. On 25 February 2007 he scored his first Ligue 1 goal, a header at the Parc des Princes, as Saint-Étienne beat Paris Saint-Germain 2-0.
Sochaux, the breakthrough
On 24 August 2007 he joined FC Sochaux-Montbéliard on loan with an option to buy, which the club took up a year later. Moved into the heart of the defence, he became an automatic starter. In 2010-11 he scored five goals in 35 Ligue 1 matches, a rare tally for a centre-back. He left Sochaux in 2012 with 180 Ligue 1 appearances to his name, including his years at Saint-Étienne.
Choosing Poland
Of Polish descent through his family, he was granted Polish citizenship on 1 September 2011. Five days later he made his debut for the national team against Germany (2-2) in Gdańsk. In March 2012 a broken elbow threatened his place at the Euro, co-hosted by Poland and Ukraine. He recovered in time, scored his only international goal against Slovakia on 26 May, then started all three of Poland's matches at Euro 2012. That tournament, seen from the inside, was followed by director Marcin Koszałka in the documentary Będziesz legendą, człowieku (2013).
Seville, Toronto, Nottingham
On 29 August 2012 he signed for Real Betis. In November 2013 an aerial collision in Málaga left him with a double fracture of the jaw. When the club was relegated he chose to stay, and won the Segunda División title in 2015.
In January 2015 he moved to Toronto FC in Major League Soccer and helped the club reach the play-offs for the first time in its history. In July 2016 he was reunited with his former coach Philippe Montanier at Nottingham Forest in the Championship.
Ajaccio and beyond
In July 2017 he signed for Gazélec Ajaccio in Ligue 2, where he played two seasons. On 15 June 2020 he announced his retirement as a player: 435 matches and 21 goals over eighteen years as a professional. “It is now time to give back what football has given me and taught me. A new career is starting. The pitch will never be far away,” he wrote.
In autumn 2020 he joined the coaching staff of Gazélec Ajaccio's reserve team while studying for his coaching licence. He has also worked as a pundit for beIN SPORTS, notably during the 2022 World Cup.