Zhang Linpeng would play as a youngster for the
Genbao Football Academy before he graduated to the
Shanghai East Asia's first team at the beginning of the 2006 league season. With the club in the third tier, Zhang quickly made an impression within the team when he was part of the squad that won promotion to the second tier at the end of the 2007 league season. Within the second tier, Zhang played a major part in ensuring the club remained in the division and by the
2009 season, the club finished fourth and just missed out on promotion. His performance for his club then saw him receive an unexpected call-up to the
Chinese national team where he impressed many by scoring on his debut against
Jordan, and he became one of the most sought-after players in China.
Guangzhou Evergrande In November 2010, Zhang joined
Chinese Super League club
Guangzhou Evergrande for a fee of ¥12 million. He made his debut for the club on 2 April 2011 in a 1–0 win against
Dalian Shide. Throughout the season, Zhang was used as a squad player as Guangzhou won their first ever league title at the end of the 2012 season. He soon established himself as a mainstay in the team's backline during the 2013 season, leading the club to a third straight league title as well as an
AFC Champions League title, the first in the club's history. During preseason before the 2015 season, Zhang sustained a medial accessory ligament tear on his left knee joint on 7 February 2015 in a friendly match against
Hangzhou Greentown. While recovering from his surgery in Italy, Zhang was linked with
Serie A side
Inter Milan with manager
Roberto Mancini also confirming his interest in Zhang. However, Guangzhou insisted that Zhang was worth €10 million which far exceeded what Inter was willing to pay. After recovering from injury, Zhang came on as a substitute and scored a goal on 3 April 2015 in a 2–1 loss against
Henan Jianye. He then went on to score a 60-meter goal on 12 April 2015 in a 6–1 win against
Liaoning Whowin. On 28 May 2015, he suffered a reoccurrence of a left knee strain on 27 May 2015 in a 2–0 win against
Seongnam FC. On 20 July 2015, Zhang extended his contract with Guangzhou until 31 December 2020. Zhang returned from injury on 12 August 2015 in a 1–0 win against
Jiangsu Sainty. On 28 August 2015,
Premier League side
Chelsea made an offer to Guangzhou for Zhang, hoping to complete the transfer before the summer transfer window closed; however, the deal couldn't be completed due to limited time while the two clubs failed to agree on certain terms during negotiations. Zhang stayed at Evergrande and won his second
AFC Champions League title with the team at the end of the season. Zhang cemented his status as a club legend at Guangzhou Evergrande after winning 8
league titles, 2
Chinese FA Cup, 4
Chinese FA Super Cup and 2
AFC Champions League.
Return to Shanghai Port On 29 April 2022, Zhang transferred back to his old side
Shanghai Port after 12 years. On 29 October 2023, Zhang won his ninth league title and the first one with Shanghai Port after a 1–1 home draw against league competitor,
Shandong Taishan. ==International career==