Zhang Chen started his professional soccer career after he graduated from the Shanghai Pudong youth team in 2001 to the senior team and was part of the squad that won promoted to the top tier of the Chinese soccer league system at the renamed Shanghai International.
[2] Despite this Zhang Chen continued to play for Shanghai and was rewarded with his persistence when he was named as the first choice goalkeeper for Shanghai Shenhua at the beginning of the 2009 season against Singapore Armed Forces in the AFC Champions League.
[3] However his reign was short lived and he was replaced by Qiu Shengjiong after a disappointing performance against Kashima Antlers where Shanghai lost an AFC Champions League game.
[4] As the season progressed he would be relegated to third choice goalkeeper and at the beginning of the 2010 league season he would move to second tier club Pudong Zobon F.C.
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