| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | May 25, 1982 | ||
| Place of birth | Shenyang, China | ||
| Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2.0 in) | ||
| Playing position | Goalkeeper | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Shaanxi Renhe | ||
| Number | 12 | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2000-2006 | Shenyang Haishi | 46 | (0) |
| 2008-2010 | Shenyang Dongjin F.C. | 44 | (0) |
| 2011-Present | Shaanxi Renhe | 11 | (0) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2011-Present | China | 1 | (0) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 12:00, 18 June 2011 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals). |
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Zhang Lie (Chinese: 张烈) (born May 25, 1982 in Shenyang) is a Chinese international football player who currently plays for Shaanxi Renhe as a goalkeeper in the Chinese Super League
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Zhang Lie would start his professional football career playing for his local top tier football team Shenyang Haishi in the 2000 league season and would eventually establish himself as the teams first choice goalkeeper by the clubs manager Zhang Guangying at the beginning of the 2004 Chinese Super League season where he would go on to play in twenty-two league games throughout the campaign.[1] After a campaign that saw Shenyang underperformed at the end season the club would bring in a new manager in Martin Koopman who decided that he wanted to bring in Guo Chunquan and Wang Lüe into the team, which saw Zhang dropped to third choice goalkeeper throughout the 2005 Chinese Super League season. The beginning of the 2006 Chinese Super League season saw the club bring in a new goalkeeper in Song Zhenyu to add even more competition within goal and Zhang would have to prove himself towards Martin Koopman, however while he was given the first game of the season Song would quickly be premoted to first choice and Zhang spent most of the season as second choice throughout the campaign.[2]
In 2007 Zhang Lie was allowed to leave Shenyang, however he struggled to find a new club to play for and would retire from actually playing to take up a job with Liaoning Guangyuan FC as a goalkeeping coach. After a year out Zhang was given a chance to revitalize his career with third tier club Shenyang Dongjin F.C. who he saw win the division title and premotion to the second tier.[3] The following season would see Zhang not only help establish Shenyang Dongjin within the league but his impressive performances saw him guide the club to third and just miss out on a double premotion to the top tier.[4] Zhang would go on to draw the attentions of top tier side Shaanxi Renhe who were interested in his services at the beginning of the 2011 Chinese Super League season after they found out that his contract coming to an end, however Shenyang Dongjin believed that Zhang had agreed upon a contract extension and was only up for sale at two million Yuan. The case would be heard by the Chinese Football Association who ruled that Zhang did not sign a contract extension and was free to join Shaanxi Renhe.[5]
At the beginning of the 2004 Chinese league season Zhang Lie would show some promise playing for Shenyang Haishi and would be called-up to the Chinese national team for the first time for several training sessions under Arie Haan, however Zhang's promise would quickly fade and it wasn't until 2011 when Zhang joined Shaanxi Renhe did he show maturity in goal and another call-up for the national team.[6] After six years out since he first tasted international football the Chinese manager Gao Hongbo would not only call him up for a friendly but try Zhang out in a game against North Korea on June 8, 2011 in a 2-0 victory.[7]