Zhang Yuning

Hangzhou Greentown

Zhang started his football career when he joined Hangzhou Greentown's youth academy in 2008. Due to several good performances for the academy, he was called up to the Chinese national under-17 team for the 2012 AFC U-16 Championship and scored two goals in three matches during the tournament. During the 2015 season, he was promoted to the club's first team, making his debut and scoring his first goal for the club on 13 May 2015 in a 1–1 draw against Wuhan Hongxing in the 2015 Chinese FA Cup.

Vitesse

In July 2015, Zhang transferred to Eredivisie side Vitesse, signing a two-year contract. He made his debut for the club on 13 February 2016 in a 3–0 win against SC Heerenveen, coming on as a substitute for Valeri Qazaishvili in the 86th minute. On 6 March 2016, he scored his first goal for the club in a 2–1 win against Roda JC. He scored his second goal of the season on 8 May 2016 in a 2–2 draw against Twente. Zhang was given the number 9 shirt for the 2016-17 season; however, he mainly played as a back-up to Ricky van Wolfswinkel throughout the season. On 26 October 2016, he scored the opening goal in a 4-1 win against RKC Waalwijkin the second round of the 2016-17 KNVB Cup. He scored his only league goal of the season on 3 December 2016 in a 3–1 home win against PEC Zwolle. On 31 March 2017, Zhang extended his contract with the club until 30 June 2018. He was an unused substitute as Vitesse won 2–0 against AZ Alkmaar in the 2017 KNVB Cup…

Zhang made his debut for the Chinese national team on 3 June 2016 in a 4–2 win against Trinidad and Tobago, scoring twice and assisting a goal on his debut. Zhang was named in China's squad for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup in Qatar and came on as a substitute in their opening match against Tajikistan on 13 January 2024. During the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification match against Thailand on 6 June 2024, he was involved in a rather controversial goal. China were trailing behind by one goal when Behram Abduweli, the substitute, took a shot from a deflected header by his teammate and hit the net at the 79th minute; most sources attributed the goal to Behram but FIFA and AFC considered Zhang to be the scorer when the ball was believed to have deflected off his back, albeit unintentionally and Zhang being in a completely passive position. On 14 November 2024, Zhang scored a crucial 91st minute late winner in a 1–0 away win against Bahrain in the third round of 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification, only three minutes after a potential match winning goal by Ali Haram was ruled out for offside.

Club

As of 23 April 2025

International

As of 9 June 2026

Scores and results list China's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Zhang goal.

Zhang comes from a devout Christian family and has stated that Kaká is his footballing role model. His younger brother Zhang Yuquan is also a professional footballer currently playing as a goalkeeper at Shenzhen Peng City.