He hit the equaliser in Guadalajara's 3-3 draw with El Nacional in October 2000 in the Copa Merconorte.
Recognition, however, has been a long time in coming for Perez.
Even after his eye-catching left-footed strike from outside the box for the under-age Aztecs, which came when the Mexicans trailed South Korean 1-0 in extra-time, he has had to battle on domestic and international fronts to establish himself.
He is nicknamed "The Rabbit" because his comparatively diminutive 1.71-metre height is countered by an impressive ability to leap.
But he still has a long way to go before his name will be mentioned in the same esteem as those of Carbajal, Campos and that other Latin American keeper-come-goalscorer, Paraguay's Jose Luis Chilavert.
However, after taking two years to establish himself at eight-time national champions Cruz Azul and battling hard to make the regular spot his own by ousting Argentinian Norberto Scoponi, he is now well on his way to fame and glory.
"Those were tough days," Perez told BBC Sport Online.
"I made mistakes to start with and that's why they brought in Scoponi.