Gao Hongbo
Despite the under-23 national team's failures, Zhang's performances were considered good enough for then manager Gao Hongbo to unexpectedly call him up to the national team even though he was playing for a second-tier side. He made an impressive international debut on 30 December 2009 in a 2–2 draw against Jordan, scoring on his debut as well. After his debut, Zhang was called up to the squad that won the 2010 East Asian Football Championship before establishing himself as a regular for the team that took part in the 2011 AFC Asian Cup.