[3][4] 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.

[6] 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.

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.

[23] This saw him promoted to the Chinese under-23 national team to play in the 2009 East Asian Games where China disappointingly were knocked out in the group stage.

He also started in all four of China's matches at the 2015 AFC Asian Cup, where the team reached the quarter-finals, losing to hosts and eventual winners Australia in Brisbane.

[27] On 21 November 2023, Zhang made his 100th appearance for the national team in a 3-0 home defeat against South Korea in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification.

[28] In December 2023, Zhang was named in China's squad for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup in Qatar, again played full 90 minutes in all 3 group matches in his fourth tournament and captained the team in the first two.

[29] In March 2024, Zhang announced his retirement from international football after an embarrassing performance against Singapore during the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, before reversing his decision two days later.