He started his career at
Serie C1 team
Palermo. He was loaned to
Serie A Udinese youth team in 2000. In 2001, he was loaned to
Livorno, another Serie C1 team, playing 10 games. After Livorno won promotion, the team signed him permanently. He found it difficult to win a regular place, just playing 12 games in his first
Serie B season. He was loaned out again, this time to
Salernitana and Modena, both Serie B. Modena F.C. signed him in a co-ownership deal in 2005, and gained full ownership in 2006. He was loaned to
Parma in January 2007, until the end of the season. On 7 September 2020 he moved to
Legnago. After one season as a team captain, in June 2021 Perna announced his retirement, whilst remaining at Legnago as an assistant coach to manager
Giovanni Colella. After manager
Michele Serena's sacking on March 28, 2022, Perna became interim head coach of the club. However, later that same day, Legnago confirmed that the club's former head coach,
Giovanni Colella, who was the coach Perna started as an assistant coach under at Legnago, had been re-hired, with Perna continuing as an assistant. In July 2022, he was hired by
Cosenza, where he was to act as sporting director Roberto Gemmi's right-hand man. ==References==