[2][3] On 4 March 2011, Pérez made his official debut for Nacional against Atlético Junior, replacing Macnelly Torres in the 86th minute.

Arsène Wenger stated that he was impressed with Pérez during the week trial and decided to add him in the game.

[6] Despite impressing both the London club and its fans, Pérez was unable to get a work-permit because 'he had yet to play at least 75% of Colombia's international matches'.

[15] Pérez first represented the U20 Colombia national team in 2011, where he took part in the 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup that took place in his home land.

[16][17][18] Pérez received his first call-up from the senior Colombia national team under the order of José Pékerman to face Bolivia and Ecuador for the 2018 World Cup qualifiers.

He earned his first cap against Bolivia, being included in the starting 11 and playing 62 minutes before being replaced by Edwin Cardona.

[20] "In European football, I admire Éver Banega, Fernando Gago, Sergio Busquets, Xavi, Xabi Alonso and Andrea Pirlo, I am excited about playing in Europe.

Pérez was an amateur footballer, before joining Nacional in 2011, and yet was considered to be a 'pure natural talent' by the Colombian club.

Despite committing to a defensive midfielder most of the time, Pérez has shown that he is capable of shooting with precision from great distances.

[22][17] He is often regarded very high by many top teams such as Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain because of his potential, led to being almost being signed by each respective club at one point.